Tacony–Palmyra Bridge

Tacony-Palmyra Bridge

Bridge as seen from the New Jersey shoreline
Coordinates 40°00′47″N 75°02′35″W / 40.013°N 75.043°W / 40.013; -75.043Coordinates: 40°00′47″N 75°02′35″W / 40.013°N 75.043°W / 40.013; -75.043
Carries 3 lanes of PA 73 and Route 73, and 2 sidewalks
Crosses Delaware River
Locale Philadelphia (Tacony), Pennsylvania and Palmyra, New Jersey
Official name Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
Maintained by Burlington County Bridge Commission
ID number 3000001 (NJ), 677301999100150 (PA)
Characteristics
Design Steel Arch bridge with bascule opening
Total length 3,659 ft (1,115 m)
Width 38 ft (12 m)
Longest span 558 ft (170 m)
Clearance above 14.5 ft (4.4 m)
Clearance below 61 ft (19 m) (arch), 54 ft (16 m) (bascule)
History
Opened August 14, 1929 (August 14, 1929)
Statistics
Daily traffic 50,000 (1999)
Toll $4.00 (westbound, cash), $3.00 (E-ZPass)[1]
View from the roadway of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, across the upper Delaware River from Palmyra, New Jersey to Tacony section of Philadelphia with drawbridge signs

The Tacony–Palmyra Bridge is a combination steel arch, double-leaf bascule bridge across the Delaware River that connects New Jersey Route 73 in Palmyra, New Jersey with Pennsylvania Route 73 in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. The bridge, designed by Polish-born architect Ralph Modjeski, has a total length of 3,659 feet (1,115 m) and spans 2,324 feet (708 m). After one and a half years of construction, it opened in 1929, replacing ferry service that had operated between Tacony and Palmyra since 1922.[2][3]

The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge from New Jersey

Owned and maintained by the Burlington County Bridge Commission of New Jersey, the bridge has a $4 cash toll and $3 E-ZPass toll for westbound (Pennsylvania-bound) traffic.[1] Despite interruptions due to occasional openings for passing shipping traffic (the upper Delaware River is navigable as far north as Van Sciver Lake near Bristol, Pennsylvania), it serves as a lower-cost alternative to the more southerly, six-lane, high-span Betsy Ross Bridge, which charges $5 for the westbound crossing.

Built with four lanes, the bridge was modified in 1977 to have three wider lanes – two westbound towards Philadelphia and one eastbound towards New Jersey.[3] A walkway provides access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The bascule draw span is located immediately east of the main, arched span. On October 10, 2013, the bascule span jammed and became stuck in the open position when a roller under the maintenance walkway seized, closing the bridge for approximately eleven hours.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Toll Rates". Burlington Country Bridge Commission. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Tacony-Palmyra Bridge (PA 73-NJ 73)". Eastern Roads. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Tacony-Palmyra Bridge". Burlington County Bridge Commission. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Stamm, Dan (October 10, 2013). "Busy Bridge Gets Stuck Open for Hours". WCAU. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
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