Burlington-Bristol Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Burlington–Bristol Bridge is a truss
bridge with a lift span
crossing the Delaware River
from Burlington
, New Jersey
to Bristol Township
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. Construction of the bridge started on April 1, 1930, and the bridge opened to traffic on May 2, 1931. The bridge carries NJ 413
and PA 413
.
The two-lane bridge has a total length of 2,301 feet (701 m), and is operated by the Burlington County Bridge Commission
. It is a major route to Philadelphia
for the area's residents and usually preferred to the other bridges by bus drivers since the tolls are lower.
The center span is lifted by the action of two large concrete slabs of slightly greater weight than the lifted span, which block traffic when fully down. They are set in downwards motion to lift the bridge by a very slight action of the motors, as gravity does the rest.
Rather unusually, a public non-toll road travels directly underneath the approach span. A municipal garage is also located underneath the rising road after the tollbooth. During times when the bridge is up for a boat passing underneath, large traffic backups are created on Keim Boulevard, the road that functions as the route to the bridge from U.S. Route 130
and Broad Street.
The tollbooths are equipped with E-ZPass
and the toll — $2.00 for cars — is paid by those cars going north to the Pennsylvania side.
New bridges for the site have been proposed, but most would require the access ramp to extend out to Route 130, which would result in the destruction of historic buildings, as well as the large industrial park near the bridge.
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
bridge with a lift span
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
crossing the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
from Burlington
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to Bristol Township
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
Bristol Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 54,582 at the 2010 census, making it the 13th largest municipality in the state. Bristol Township, along with Bristol Borough, is a cultural hub for Lower Bucks County, hosting celebrations of African...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Construction of the bridge started on April 1, 1930, and the bridge opened to traffic on May 2, 1931. The bridge carries NJ 413
Route 413 (New Jersey)
Route 413 is a long state highway in New Jersey, United States. It is an eastward extension into New Jersey of the longer Pennsylvania Route 413. The western terminus is in Burlington in the middle of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge crossing of the Delaware River at the New Jersey–Pennsylvania...
and PA 413
Pennsylvania Route 413
Pennsylvania Route 413 is a long, north–south state highway running from the PA/NJ state line on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to PA 611 in Bedminster Township in Bucks County...
.
The two-lane bridge has a total length of 2,301 feet (701 m), and is operated by the Burlington County Bridge Commission
Burlington County Bridge Commission
The Burlington County Bridge Commission is a public agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of several bridges in Burlington County, New Jersey across the Delaware River. It now manages eight bridges, including the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, and the...
. It is a major route to Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
for the area's residents and usually preferred to the other bridges by bus drivers since the tolls are lower.
The center span is lifted by the action of two large concrete slabs of slightly greater weight than the lifted span, which block traffic when fully down. They are set in downwards motion to lift the bridge by a very slight action of the motors, as gravity does the rest.
Rather unusually, a public non-toll road travels directly underneath the approach span. A municipal garage is also located underneath the rising road after the tollbooth. During times when the bridge is up for a boat passing underneath, large traffic backups are created on Keim Boulevard, the road that functions as the route to the bridge from U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 is a north–south U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey. It runs from Interstate 295 and US 40 at Deepwater in Pennsville Township, Salem County, where the road continues east as Route 49, north to US 1 in North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, where...
and Broad Street.
The tollbooths are equipped with E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
and the toll — $2.00 for cars — is paid by those cars going north to the Pennsylvania side.
New bridges for the site have been proposed, but most would require the access ramp to extend out to Route 130, which would result in the destruction of historic buildings, as well as the large industrial park near the bridge.
External links
- Burlington-Bristol Bridge, Burlington County Bridge CommissionBurlington County Bridge CommissionThe Burlington County Bridge Commission is a public agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of several bridges in Burlington County, New Jersey across the Delaware River. It now manages eight bridges, including the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, and the...
- Philly Roads details for the Burlington-Bristol Bridge