Raritan River Bridge

NEC Raritan River Bridge
Coordinates 40°30′04″N 74°26′28″W / 40.50112°N 74.44119°W / 40.50112; -74.44119Coordinates: 40°30′04″N 74°26′28″W / 40.50112°N 74.44119°W / 40.50112; -74.44119
Carries Northeast Corridor
Crosses Raritan River
Locale New Brunswick and Highland Park, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Owner New Jersey Transit
Characteristics
Design Closed-spandrel arch
Material stone, concrete
Total length 1,428 feet (435 m)
No. of spans 21
History
Construction end 1903

The Raritan River Bridge is a rail bridge over the Raritan River, in New Brunswick and Highland Park in Middlesex County, New Jersey, U.S. The arch bridge carries the Northeast Corridor (NEC) at MP 30.92. It used by Amtrak, including Northeast Regional service, and New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line.[1] It also crosses over New Jersey Route 18 and the East Coast Greenway.

The bridge was constructed in 1903 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR).[2] It consists of 21 spans of stone arches, the clear spans varying from 51 feet to 72 feet each and has a total length of 1,428 feet (435 m). The line was electrified by 1933.[3] and between 1948-1950 the bridge was encased in concrete.[4]

The bridge was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in 1977.[5] It is contributing property of the unlisted Pennsylvania Railroad New York to Philadelphia Historic District (ID#4568), designated in 2002 by the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office.[6]

Earlier bridges

The first crossing of the Raritan at this point was wooden bridge on masonry substructure, constructed in 1838 by the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company. It was a 1,577 feet (481 m) long double-deck Howe-truss bridge with a highway on the lower deck. The 146 feet (45 m)-foot long draw span was renewed in 1872.[1]

In 1877 work began on the replacement with the intention to build a double-track iron structure of seven iron fixed deck-spans having three trusses each with stone-arch approaches. While construction was underway this bridge was entirely destroyed by fire on March 9, 1878. Traffic was resumed over a temporary structure five days later.[1]

In 1896, the superstructure was again renewed with five deck truss-spans, each 147 feet (45 m) long, and one drawspan over the canal, all for two tracks.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Amtrak - Raritan River Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Listokin, David; Berkhout, Dorothea; Hughes, James W. (14 June 2016). "New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America". Rutgers University Press. Retrieved 2 November 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ http://www.prrths.com/newprr_files/Hagley/PRR1933%204_15_15.pdf
  4. ↑ http://www.prrths.com/newprr_files/Hagley/PRR1950.pdf
  5. ↑ HAER NJ-40
  6. ↑ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
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