Driscoll Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Driscoll Bridge is a toll bridge (a series of three spans) on the Garden State Parkway
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
spanning the Raritan River
near its mouth in Raritan Bay
. The bridge connects the Middlesex County
communities of Woodbridge Township
on the north with Sayreville
on the south. With a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes, it is the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes and one of the world's busiest.
Alfred E. Driscoll
, who advocated for and oversaw the construction of the Garden State Parkway, as well as for the New Jersey Turnpike
.
The original span was built with two lanes in each direction. A second span was added in 1972, with each span serving five lanes of traffic.
The bridge had very narrow lanes which created traffic bottlenecks for miles in each direction on the Garden State Parkway, until it was widened. The original configuration was four twelve-foot lanes with shoulders. This was then widened to eight twelve-foot lanes with shoulders. The shoulders on each side were then converted to travel lanes, resulting in a total of ten twelve-foot lanes. Finally, the bridge was restriped to have twelve ten-foot lanes, six in each direction. The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway is 45 mph between Milepost 126.7 and 127.7, approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge.
Once the new southbound span was fully opened, and the old span reconstructed, the new span featured seven southbound lanes and the original span had eight northbound lanes, separated between through traffic and traffic exiting at Exit 127. The new southbound bridge opened to traffic on May 3, 2006, bringing to an end this part of the construction project, which started on September 25, 2002.
On May 20, 2009, the Driscoll Bridge project was completed. The new configuration has seven southbound lanes on the newly constructed span, and the original span, carries only northbound traffic. The northbound span is also divided, with four lanes on each side. The left side serves as an express route over the bridge, and the right side services exit 127 of the parkway. The Driscoll Bridge is the world's widest bridge, in terms of total number of travel lanes (15 total).
The toll charged for this bridge (due south) is not for the bridge itself but rather a toll for driving on the Garden State Parkway; however, any southbound motorist that uses the bridge will pass through this toll plaza, as there are no southbound exits between the bridge and the plaza. Until September 2004, the toll was 35 cents each way; this along with many other Parkway toll plazas, have been converted to one-way in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.
On July 08, 2010, Robert Beria attempted to commit suicide, but he was too intoxicated from drinking too many Rob Beria's that law enforcement was able to stop him in time.
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
spanning the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
near its mouth in Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay
Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on the south by the Raritan...
. The bridge connects the Middlesex County
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
communities of Woodbridge Township
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
-Communities:Many distinct communities exist within Woodbridge Township. Several of these communities have their own ZIP codes, and many are listed by the United States Census Bureau as census-designated places, but they are all unincorporated areas and neighborhoods within the Township that,...
on the north with Sayreville
Sayreville, New Jersey
Sayreville is a borough located on the Raritan River, near Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 42,704....
on the south. With a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes, it is the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes and one of the world's busiest.
History
The northbound lanes of the bridge were opened to the public without fanfare on July 30, 1954. The bridge was formally renamed in 1974 for former Governor of New JerseyGovernor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred E. Driscoll
Alfred Eastlack Driscoll was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd Governor of New Jersey, and as president of Warner-Lambert .-Biography:He was born on October 25, 1902 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, who advocated for and oversaw the construction of the Garden State Parkway, as well as for the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
.
The original span was built with two lanes in each direction. A second span was added in 1972, with each span serving five lanes of traffic.
The bridge had very narrow lanes which created traffic bottlenecks for miles in each direction on the Garden State Parkway, until it was widened. The original configuration was four twelve-foot lanes with shoulders. This was then widened to eight twelve-foot lanes with shoulders. The shoulders on each side were then converted to travel lanes, resulting in a total of ten twelve-foot lanes. Finally, the bridge was restriped to have twelve ten-foot lanes, six in each direction. The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway is 45 mph between Milepost 126.7 and 127.7, approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge.
Once the new southbound span was fully opened, and the old span reconstructed, the new span featured seven southbound lanes and the original span had eight northbound lanes, separated between through traffic and traffic exiting at Exit 127. The new southbound bridge opened to traffic on May 3, 2006, bringing to an end this part of the construction project, which started on September 25, 2002.
On May 20, 2009, the Driscoll Bridge project was completed. The new configuration has seven southbound lanes on the newly constructed span, and the original span, carries only northbound traffic. The northbound span is also divided, with four lanes on each side. The left side serves as an express route over the bridge, and the right side services exit 127 of the parkway. The Driscoll Bridge is the world's widest bridge, in terms of total number of travel lanes (15 total).
The toll charged for this bridge (due south) is not for the bridge itself but rather a toll for driving on the Garden State Parkway; however, any southbound motorist that uses the bridge will pass through this toll plaza, as there are no southbound exits between the bridge and the plaza. Until September 2004, the toll was 35 cents each way; this along with many other Parkway toll plazas, have been converted to one-way in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.
Suicides and murders on the bridge
On Feb 17, 2010, Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem allegedly murdered his daughter by throwing her off the bridge. The body of an infant matching the girl's description was found on the south bank of the Raritan river on April 24 and was later identified as the missing girl through DNA testing.On July 08, 2010, Robert Beria attempted to commit suicide, but he was too intoxicated from drinking too many Rob Beria's that law enforcement was able to stop him in time.