Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license.
Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat.
We can research this topic together.
This article needs attention from an expert in Civil engineering. The specific problem is: date start and finish confusion. See the talk page for details. WikiProject Civil engineering may be able to help recruit an expert. (April 2016)
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2016)
The Wittpenn Bridge is a vertical lift bridge that carries New Jersey Route 7 over the Hackensack River connecting Kearny and Jersey City, New Jersey. It is named after H. Otto Wittpenn, a former mayor of Jersey City. The bridge comprises four 10-foot (3.0 m)-wide lanes, extending 2,169 feet (661 m) and standing 35 feet (11 m) above mean high water with an 209-foot (64 m) main lift span. Bridge construction commenced 1927, and was opened to vehicular traffic November 5, 1930. The bridge has an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of nearly 50,000 vehicles, including about 2,000 trucks.
When raised, the bridge provides 100 feet (30 m) of clearance for ships. Raising the lift span takes 15 minutes. In 2005, the bridge was raised to accommodate 80 boats passing underneath.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is replacing the Wittpenn Bridge and all its approach ramps (including connections to U.S. Route 1/9), a project estimated to cost $600 million, funded by federal dollars. The first phase of construction began in July 2011 and the overall project is expected to take six years to complete. The new bridge will be situated just north of the existing bridge.
Wittpenn Bridge, looking east in a 2004 photo
Route 7
Wittpenn Bridge