Delaware Memorial Bridge

From Free net encyclopedia

{{Infobox_Bridge |bridge_name= Deleware Memorial Bridge |image= Delaware Memorial Bridge.jpg |caption= |official_name= |carries= 8 lanes of I-295/US 40 |crosses= Delaware River |locale= New Castle, Delaware to Deepwater, New Jersey |maint= Delaware River and Bay Authority |id= 1737 |design= steel suspension bridge| |mainspan= 655.3 m (2150 ft) |length= 3281.2 m (10765 ft) (eastbound)
3290.6 m (10796 ft) (westbound) |width= 18.0 m (59.1 ft) (eastbound)
17.9 m (58.7 ft) (westbound) |clearance= 5.46 m (17.9 ft) |below= 53.0 m (174 ft) |traffic= 80,000 |open= August 16 1951 (eastbound)
September 12 1968 (westbound) |closed= |toll= Cars $3.00 (southbound) (EZ Pass) |map_cue= |map_image= |map_text= |map_width= |lat=39.68927 |long=-75.51897}}

The Delaware Memorial Bridge, commonly abbreviated as "Del Mem Br" on highway guide signs, is a set of twin suspension bridges crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by Othmar Ammann, whose other designs include the Walt Whitman Bridge and Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

The bridges also provide connection with the New Jersey Turnpike, and U.S. Route 130 in Pennsville, New Jersey (at the settlement of Deepwater, New Jersey) on the north side and Interstate 95, Interstate 495, U.S. Route 13, and Route 9 in New Castle, Delaware.

The bridges are dedicated to the war dead of both New Jersey and Delaware, thus its name. On the Delaware side of the bridge is a War Memorial, visible from the northbound side lanes. The toll facility is operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

1 History
- 1.1 The First Span
- 1.2 The Second Span
2 Toll
3 War Memorial
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links
7 Reference

[edit]

History

[edit]

The First Span

Following the opening of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, residents of Delaware and New Jersey began to advocate a river crossing in the Wilmington area. As pressure mounted, a ferry service was initiated in 1926 near the bridge's current location as an interim measure. Advocates of a Delaware-New Jersey crossing faced strong opposition from Philadelphia port authorities, claiming it would be a menace to navigation. The United States Navy was also concerned that the bridge would be vulnerable to attack and could render the Philadelphia Navy Yard useless if destroyed by an enemy.

As vehicular traffic rapidly increased, the benefits of the bridge became impossible to ignore and construction was authorized by the highway departments of Delaware and New Jersey in 1945. Originally a two lane tunnel was considered, but the costs for a four-lane bridge were found to be equivalent; thus the bridge was the choice. The United States Congress approved the project on July 13, 1946, and construction eventually began on February 1, 1949.

The project cost $44 million. It took two years to complete the 440-foot- (134-meter-) high span, which opened to traffic on August 16, 1951. At the time, it was the sixth longest main suspension span in the world. The governors of Delaware and New Jersey dedicated the bridge to their state's war dead of World War II.

The bridge quickly proved a popular travel route as the New Jersey Turnpike connection was completed at the north end. By 1955, nearly 8 million vehicles were crossing the bridge each year— almost double the original projection. By 1960, it was attracting more than 15 million cars per year, increasing even more when it began linking the newly constructed Delaware Turnpike in November, 1963.

[edit]

The Second Span

Construction of the second span began in mid-1964, 250 feet north of the original span. At a cost of $77 million, the second span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge opened on September 12, 1968, and was dedicated to the those soldiers from Delware and New Jersey killed in the Korean War and Vietnam War. The original span was closed down for fifteen months for refurbishment - the suspenders were replaced, the deck and median barrier were removed and replaced with a single deck to allow four lanes of traffic. Finally, on December 29, 1969, all eight lanes of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Twin Span opened to traffic, making it the world's longest twin suspension bridge.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority began a $13 million project in 2003 to resurface the bridge, refurbish the expansion joints, udgrade the electrical system, and replace the elevators in the 4 towers. The work should be complete in 2008.

The bridge had a close call with disater when on July 9, 1969, the oil tanker Regent Liverpool struck the fender system protecting the tower piers. The bridge itself was spared damage, but the fender suffered approximately $1 million in damage.

The original span carries New Jersey-bound traffic, while the newer span carries the Delaware-bound traffic. Cross-over lanes on each side of the bridge can allow for two-way traffic on one span if another has to be closed for extensive periods.

Today, more than 80,000 vehicles cross the twin spans on their combined total of 8 lanes daily.

The largest single day of bridge traffic saw 72,249 private and commercial vehicles cross the bridge one-way on November 29, 1998. The largest single weekend for traffic totals saw 194,199 vehicles cross the bridge one-way, July 24-26, 1998[1].

[edit]

Toll

$3 for passenger vehicles exiting New Jersey into Delaware. Toll plaza located on Delaware side before Delaware State Highway 9 (New Castle Ave.) exit.
No toll for traffic exiting Delaware into New Jersey, as one-way tolls were instituted in 1992.
E-ZPass compatible.
Frequent Traveler discounts available
About $270,000 in tolls are collected daily[2].
Current tolls for all vehicle types

Image:DelawareMemorialBridgeFromSouth.jpg

[edit]

War Memorial

Since its opening in 1951, annual ceremonies are held at the bridge's War Memorial on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day to honor the sacrifices of American war veterans. This memorial is located in New Castle, Delaware and features a reflecting pool, a statue of a soldier, and a wall containing the names of 15,000 men and women from Delaware and New Jersey killed in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.

[edit]

Trivia

While similar in basic appearance, major differences can be seen between the original (1951) and second (1968) spans. The original span was constructed entirely of riveted steel plates, and has an open-grate shoulder access walk while the second span was constructed mostly of welded steel plates (with riveted joints in crucial areas) and has concrete access walks.

Some publications have the portion of Interstate 295 between U.S. Route 13 and the bridge as part of the Delaware Turnpike. This is not true as the highway east of U.S. 13 is owned and maintained by the Delaware River and Bay Authority while the highway west of U.S. 13 is maintained by the Delaware Department of Transporation.

Like Interstate 676 in Philadelphia, which crosses the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the three exits on I-295 between I-95 and the bridge have no exit numbers. The Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge are the only two bridges on the Delaware River south of Trenton to carry both an Interstate and a U.S. Federal Highway across the river (I-295/U.S. 40 and I-676/U.S. 30 respectively). All other major Delaware River crossings carry either a solo Interstate, U.S. Federal, or state highway only.

[edit]