Midtown Bridge (Hackensack River)

Midtown Bridge, also known as the Salem Street Bridge and William C. Ryan Memorial Bridge, crosses over the Hackensack River between Hackensack and Bogota, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The through truss bridge was originally a swing bridge built in 1900 for trolleys. It became a road bridge in 1940 and its swing span was fixed in 1984. It was closed in 2017 and slated for replacement; the rebuilt bridge reopened in April 2018.

Midtown Bridge
Before 2017-18 reconstruction
Coordinates40.88241°N 74.03596°W / 40.88241; -74.03596
CarriesSalem Street
West Main Street
CrossesHackensack River
LocaleHackensack and Bogota,
New Jersey
Other name(s)Salem Street Bridge
William C. Ryan Memorial Bridge
OwnerBergen County
Characteristics
DesignSwing
(fixed 1984)
MaterialSteel
Total length321.9 ft (98.1 m)
Width21.7 ft (6.6 m)
Longest span70.9 ft (21.6 m)
No. of spans3
Clearance above14.0 ft (4.3 m)
Clearance below3 ft (0.91 m) mean high water
8 ft (2.4 m) mean low water
History
Constructed byR.F. Long and Company
Opened1900 2018 (replacement)
Closed1998 (temporary)
2013 (temporary)
2017 (rebuilt)
Location
References
[1][2][3]

History

The bridge was built in 1900 by F.R. Long and Company as a trolley bridge for the Bergen County Traction Company, which had opened in 1896.[4] Steel for the bridge was provided by the Passaic Rolling Mill Company of Paterson. The bridge's original design was a through Pratt truss swing span on a stone center pier. It carried two sets of tracks, part of line running to Edgewater where there was connecting ferry service across the Hudson River to Manhattan. Various lines were consolidated in 1900 into the New Jersey and Hudson River Railway Company and in 1910 were sold to the Public Service Corporation as part of the Bergen Division which ran service between the ferry and the Broadway Terminal in Paterson.

Service was discontinued in 1938. The tracks were replaced with a steel deck and in 1940 the Midtown Bridge began carrying vehicular traffic.[5] The swing span was closed for the passage of maritime vessels on February 4, 1978 and a in rehabilitation project in 1984 it was fixed in place and its machinery was removed. As of 2014, Coast Guard rules required that the draw be made operable within 12 months after notification by the District Commander.[6]

Designation

In 1980, the bridge was designated the "Ryan Memorial Bridge," after Bogota resident and U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant William C. Ryan, who was killed (MIA) during the Vietnam War in 1969.[7][8][9] It was designated the Lt. William C Ryan (USMC) Memorial Bridge during a re-dedication of the bridge on April 21, 2018.[10][11]

Reconstruction

The Midtown Bridge was shut down for several weeks in 1998 by the Department of Public Works so that emergency repairs could be made to its steel joints, a situation described by county engineer Robert Mulder as "an ongoing problem that needs to be permanently fixed".[12] A rehabilitation project closed the downriver Court Street Bridge from 2010 to 2012 and traffic diverted to the Midtown Bridge, which is believed to have suffered stresses due to the extra use.[13] On October 17, 2013 the Midtown Bridge was temporarily shut down for emergency repairs again after Bogota’s Council President and Office of Emergency Management coordinator Tito Jackson noticed a large separation in the joints of bridge’s metal decking.[14]

As of 2017 the bridge was slated for replacement.[15] It was closed on March 16 and expected to be completed in November 2017.[16] It reopened on April 20, 2018.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Uglybridges.com - Salem Street County Route 561, Bergen County, New Jersey". Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  2. "Bridgehunter.com - Midtown Bridge". bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  3. "Salem Street over Hackensack River" (PDF). Historic Bridge Survey (1991–1994). New Jersey Department of Transportation. 2001. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. "PSNJ - Hackensack River Swing Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. Eid, Jr., Joseph F.; Gummere, Barker (2007). Streetcars of New Jersey: Metropolitan Northeast. Lulu.com. ISBN 9780980102628.
  6. "Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Hackensack River, Jersey City, NJ A Rule by the Coast Guard on 06/17/2014". Federal Register. June 6, 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015. The draw of the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad bridge, mile 16.3, and the Midtown bridge, mile 16.5, both at Hackensack, need not be opened for the passage of vessels, however, the draws shall be restored to operable condition within 12 months after notification by the District Commander to do so.
  7. "Midtown Bridge". BridgesNYC. June 25, 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  8. Miket (May 25, 2014). "Photo of the Day: William C. Ryan Memorial Bridge, Bogota, NJ". A Boat Against the Current. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  9. "Virtual Vietnam Veterans Wall of Faces - WILLIAM C RYAN JR - MARINE CORPS". Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. Maag, Christopher (April 21, 2018). "Missing in action for nearly half a century, Bogota Marine memorialized". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  11. "Event Details: Rededication of the Lt. William C. Ryan (USMC) Memorial Bridge".
  12. Norman, Jim (October 22, 2013). "Span linking Bogota and Hackensack shut down due to structural issues". The Record (Bergen County). Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  13. Cichowski, John (April 26, 2013). "Road warrior: Court Street Bridge to reopen but delays linger". The Record. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  14. Krulish, Mark (October 31, 2013). "Bogota's Midtown Bridge undergoing repairs". The Record. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  15. "Midtown Bridge connecting Bogota and Hackensack to be replaced". Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. "CLOSURE OF THE MIDTOWN BRIDGE - HACKENSACK/BOGOTA". Bergen County, NJ. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. "CLOSURE OF THE MIDTOWN BRIDGE - HACKENSACK/BOGOTA". Bergen County, NJ. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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