Tacony-Palmyra | Burlington-Bristol | Riverside-Delanco | Minor Bridges
The Burlington-Bristol Bridge
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Crossing
- crosses the Delaware River between the cities of Burlington, NJ and Bristol, PA
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Read More about the Burlington-Bristol Bridge on our History page
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Building
- built by the Burlington-Bristol Bridge Company after receiving approval from the US Congress and US War Department
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Construction
- construction began in April 1930
- bridge opened to traffic May 2, 1931
- comprised of several different type of structures
- a long through-truss span at the middle of the river
- other adjacent through-truss spans
- stringer spans and deck truss spans
Cantilever erection of horizontal lift span
Cost
- cost to build was slightly more than $1.5 million
- acquired in 1948 by its present owners, the Burlington County Bridge Commission
- no tax money from Burlington County residents is used to maintain this bridge
Specifications
- total length from abutment to abutment is 2,301 feet
- bridge is 20 feet wide and carries two lanes of vehicular traffic across the river
- pedestrians are not permitted on the bridge
Clearance/Openings
- vertical clearance under the main lift span at the center is 61 feet at high tide
- marine vessels requiring a vertical clearance greater than that of the movable span in its normally closed position must request a bridge opening. When the lift span is raised mechanically to permit passage of the vessel, concrete counterweights are lowered at each end of the span to maintain a balanced condition. Vehicular traffic is temporarily stopped until the vessel clears the bridge; the span then resumes its normal lowered position
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1931: Operating house and toll collection at center of lift span
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Power/Lights
- electrical power is supplied by PECO (PA)
- trolley cables carry the power to the lift span machinery and an auxiliary engine is used during power outages
- both navigation lights and obstruction lights are installed at various locations, to warn both marine and air traffic of the bridge structure
Maintenance
- north and south approaches were rebuilt and realigned to eliminate the s-curves which then provided a safer and smoother ride for the motorists (during 1950s and 1960s)
- complete replacement of the lift span bridge deck and sidewalk was completed in 1994
- E-Z Pass/electronic toll collection equipment added in 2003
Service Times
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