Wittpenn Bridge

Wittpenn Bridge
300px Wittpenn Bridge, looking east in a 2004 photo
Coordinates
Carries	4 Lanes of Route 7
Crosses	Hackensack River
Locale	Jersey City and Kearny, New Jersey
Official name	Wittpenn Bridge
Other name(s)	Route 7 Bridge
Maintained by	New Jersey Department of Transportation
ID number	0909150
Characteristics
Design	Lift bridge
Total length	2,169 feet (661 m)
Width	40 feet (12 m)
Longest span	83 feet (25 m)
Clearance below	35 feet (11 m) (lowered) 100 feet (30 m) (raised)
History
Opened	November 5, 1930
Statistics
Daily traffic	50,000
Wittpenn Bridge

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.

The reconstruction of the bridge is being partially funded by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and will be fully operational in 2021.

See also

• List of crossings of the Hackensack River

External links

• Wittpenn Bridge – Historic Overview (nycroads.com)
• Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge: Kearny and Jersey City, Hudson County – Preliminary Design Development (NJDOT)
• Wittpenn Bridge at Structurae
• Wittpenn Bridge – Proposed Alignment (NJDOT)