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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox nrhp
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Dock Bridge
| name = Dock Bridge
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = PATH Passaic br jeh.JPG
| image = Dock Bridge - Newark, NJ.jpg
| caption = Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift bridge.
| caption = Amtrak Dock [[Vertical-lift bridge|Vertical Lift bridge]].
| location= [[Passaic River]]<br>[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] - [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]]<br>[[New Jersey]]
| location = [[Passaic River]]<br>[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] - [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]]<br>[[New Jersey]]
| lat_degrees = 40
| coordinates = {{coord|40|44|9|N|74|9|43|W|display=inline}}
| lat_minutes = 44
| locmapin = USA New Jersey Hudson County#New Jersey#USA
| lat_seconds = 9
| map_label = Dock Bridge
| lat_direction = N
| label_size =
| long_degrees = 74
| label_position = top
| long_minutes = 9
| label_background = transparent
| long_seconds = 43
| built = 1935
| long_direction = W
| architect = [[Waddell & Hardesty]]; [[J.A.L. Waddell|Waddell, Dr.J.A.L.]]
| coord_display = inline,title
| architecture = [[Truss bridge|Through-Truss]] [[Vertical-lift bridge|Lift Bridge]]
| locmapin = New Jersey
| added = October 3, 1980
| built = 1935
| area = {{convert|1|acre}}
| architect = Waddell & Hardesty; Waddell,Dr.J.A.L.
| refnum = 80002484<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
| architecture = Through-Truss Lift Bridge
| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| added = October 3, 1980
| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP
| area = {{convert|1|acre}}
| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| governing_body = Private
| designated_other1_date = July 21, 1979
| refnum = 80002484<ref name="nris">{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2009-03-13|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designated_other1_number = 1227<ref name=NJRHP>{{cite web|title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County|url=http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/essex.pdf|publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] - Historic Preservation Office|page=12|date=2011-09-06|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809194220/http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/essex.pdf|archive-date=2017-08-09}}</ref>
| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_date = July 21, 1979
| designated_other1_number = 1227<ref name=NJRHP>{{cite web | title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County | url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/essex.pdf | publisher=NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office | page=3 | date=January 10, 2010 | accessdate=April 13, 2010}}</ref>
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
}}
}}
{{Infobox bridge
|fetchwikidata=coordinates
| name = '''Dock Bridge'''
| carries = [[Amtrak]], [[New Jersey Transit rail operations|NJ Transit]] (West span)<br>and [[Port Authority Trans Hudson|PATH]] and [[Amtrak]]/[[New Jersey Transit rail operations|NJ Transit]] (East span)
| crosses = [[Passaic River]]
| design = pair of [[Truss bridge|through-truss]]<br>[[vertical lift bridge]]s
| num_track = 3 (West span),<br>3 (East span)
| track_gauge = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| structure_gauge = [[Association of American Railroads|AAR]]
| clearance_below = {{convert|24|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} (closed)<br>{{convert|135|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} (open)
}}
'''Dock Bridge''' is a pair of [[vertical lift bridge]]s carrying [[Amtrak]], [[NJ Transit Rail Operations|NJ Transit]], and [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]] trains across the [[Passaic River]] at [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Essex County, New Jersey|Essex County]] and [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]], [[Hudson County, New Jersey|Hudson County]], [[New Jersey]], United States. It is the seventh crossing from the river's mouth at [[Newark Bay]] and is {{convert|5.0|mi}} upstream from it.<ref name=USACE>{{cite web|title=Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis|publisher=United States Army Corps of Engineers|date=2010-07-02|url=http://passaic.sharepointspace.com/Public%20Documents/2010-07-29%20USACE%20Lower%20Passaic%20River%20Commercial%20Navigation%20Analysis.pdf|access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> Also known as the '''Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift''', it is listed on the [[New Jersey Register of Historic Places|New Jersey]] and [[National Register of Historic Places|National]] Registers of Historic Places.


==History==
'''Dock Bridge''', is a [[vertical lift bridge]] built in 1935 and added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 3, 1980. Sometimes known as the '''Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift''', the bridge crosses the [[Passaic River]] at [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] and [[Harrison, New Jersey|Harrison]] in [[Gateway Region|northeastern New Jersey]] and carries [[Amtrak]], [[New Jersey Transit rail operations|New Jersey Transit]], and [[Port Authority Trans Hudson]] and part of the [[Northeast Corridor]]. The bridge is manned.<ref>http://www.oocities.com/transit383/bridges.html</ref>
The bridge was built by the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] (PRR) for its main line. The west span carries three tracks and opened in 1935 along with the west half of [[Pennsylvania Station (Newark)|Newark Penn Station]]. The lift span is {{convert|230|ft|m|0}} over bearings (clear channel {{convert|200|ft|m|0|disp=or|sp=us}}), the longest three-track lift span in the world when built.<ref>{{cite news|title=Newark Dedicates Its New Terminal; New Bridge Also Ready|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/03/24/93682031.pdf|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 24, 1935}}</ref> The east spans opened in 1937 when the [[Hudson and Manhattan Railroad]] (H&M, later called PATH) shifted its [[rapid transit]] trains from the [[Centre Street Bridge (Newark)|Centre Street Bridge]] to the newly built station.<ref name="NYT 19370620">{{cite news|title=New Station Open for Hudson Tubes|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B14FB3A541B728DDDA90A94DE405B878FF1D3|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 20, 1937|page=1}}</ref> With the opening of the eastern span, the PRR closed [[Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)|Manhattan Transfer station]] in the [[Kearny Meadows]], where previously steam and electrical trains were changed and passengers could transfer to trains to [[Penn Station (New York)|New York Penn Station]] on the PRR or to [[Hudson Terminal]] on the H&M.<ref name="NYT 19370620" />

==Description==
The west span carries three tracks exclusively used by Amtrak and NJ Transit for [[Northeast Corridor]] intercity and commuter traffic between Newark and New York City. The east span carries two PATH tracks used by PATH's [[Newark-World Trade Center]] service and one NEC track shared by Amtrak and NJ Transit. Due partly to its use of the Dock Bridge, PATH is legally a [[commuter railroad]] under the jurisdiction of the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] even though it has long operated as a [[rapid transit]] system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.railwayage.com/safety/siemens-lands-path-cbtc-contract/|title=Siemens lands PATH CBTC contract|last=Vantuono|first=William C.|date=October 27, 2009|work=Railway Age|access-date=June 11, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-151BR/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-151BR.htm|title=Amtrak's Northeast Corridor: Information on the Status and Cost of Needed Improvements|date=April 13, 1995|website=U.S. Government Publishing Office|access-date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>

The lower {{convert|17|mi}} downstream of the {{convert|90|mi|adj=on}} long Passaic River below the [[Dundee Canal|Dundee Dam]] is [[tide|tidally influenced]] and [[Navigability|navigable]].<ref name="USACE"/> When closed the bridge has a vertical clearance of {{convert|24|ft|m}} above mean high water and opens to clear {{convert|135|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="USCG">U.S. Coast Guard, New York, NY (May 28, 2009). [http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12383.pdf <nowiki>"Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Passaic River, Harrison, NJ, Maintenance. Notice of temporary deviation from regulations."</nowiki>] ''Federal Register,'' {{USFR|74|25448}}.</ref> It is infrequently lifted and, prior to 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/PATHTrain/status/509377125959630848|access-date=September 9, 2014|title=Due to the opening of the Amtrak Dock Bridge, service on the NWK-WTC line is suspended}}</ref> had not received a request for a river traffic opening since 2004.<ref name="USCG" /> In 2011 regulations were changed so that it need not be open on demand (as it previously had<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/117-passaic-river-19757052|title=33 CFR 117.739 - Passaic River|access-date=August 21, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205238/http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/117-passaic-river-19757052|archive-date=August 12, 2014}}</ref>) but with a 24-hour notice.<ref name=fedreg>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-10-21/pdf/2011-26549.pdf|title=Federal Register (Vol. 76, No. 204) October 21, 2011 Rules and Regulations|website=GPO.gov|access-date=November 18, 2017}}</ref> During four-year removal of dredged materials from the Passaic the bridge is expected to open upwards of 10 times per day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/10/amtrak_and_nj_transit_fear_passaic_river_dredging.html|title=Fears that Passaic River dredging could delay rail commuters|website=NJ.com|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date=October 29, 2014|access-date=November 18, 2017}}</ref> In 2020 Amtrak requested that bridge remain in closed position until such time as it can be rehabilitated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2020/08/85-year-old-train-bridge-in-newark-delays-riders-amtrak-working-on-plan-to-fix-the-problem.html|title = 85-year-old train bridge in Newark delays riders. Amtrak working on plan to fix the problem|last=Higgs|first=Larry|date = August 15, 2020|website=NJ.com}}</ref>

{{wide image|Dock Bridge Harrison Newark June 2015 panorama.jpg|1500px|The Dock Bridge connecting Harrison and Newark}}


When built it was an important component in making obsolete the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]'s [[Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)|Manhattan Transfer]], just east of [[Penn Station (Newark)|Newark Penn Station]] (also opened in 1935),where passengers would change from deisel trains to [[Exchange Place (PRR station)|Exchange Place]] to electrified trains for [[Penn Station (New York)|New York Penn Station]].
==See also==
==See also==
* [[Gateway Project]], regional transportation improvement project
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey]]
*[[List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
* [[List of crossings of the Lower Passaic River]]
* [[List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
* [[New Jersey Transit Rail Operations#Movable bridges|List of NJT movable bridges]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
* [[List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]

==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
{{Commons category|Dock Bridge (Passaic River)}}
*[http://bridgestunnels.com/location/dock-bridge/ Dock Bridge] at Bridges & Tunnels
*[http://wikimapia.org/3309877/Dock-Drawbridge-and-Interlocking-Tower Dock Drawbridge and Interlocking Tower] at Wikimapia
{{PATH (rail system)}}
{{New Jersey Transit Rail}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = [[List of crossings of the Lower Passaic River|Crossings]]
|place = [[Passaic River]]
|bridge = Dock Bridge
|bridge signs =
|upstream = [[New Jersey Route 158|Centre Street Bridge]]
|upstream signs = [[Image:Ellipse sign 158.svg|25px]]
|downstream = [[Jackson Street Bridge]]
|downstream signs = [[File:Hudson County Route 697 NJ.svg|20px]]
}}
{{NRHP in Hudson County, New Jersey}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1935]]

[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bridges in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:1935 architecture]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Essex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bridges in Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Harrison, New Jersey]]

[[Category:Transportation in Newark, New Jersey]]

[[Category:Railroad bridges in New Jersey]]
{{NewJersey-NRHP-stub}}
[[Category:Vertical lift bridges in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Amtrak bridges]]
[[Category:PATH (rail system)]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania Railroad bridges]]
[[Category:NJ Transit bridges]]
[[Category:Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Passaic River]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Rapid transit bridges]]
[[Category:New Jersey Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in New Jersey]]

Latest revision as of 17:31, 23 December 2024

Dock Bridge
Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift bridge.
Dock Bridge is located in Hudson County, New Jersey
Dock Bridge
Dock Bridge
Dock Bridge is located in New Jersey
Dock Bridge
Dock Bridge
Dock Bridge is located in the United States
Dock Bridge
Dock Bridge
LocationPassaic River
Newark - Harrison
New Jersey
Coordinates40°44′9″N 74°9′43″W / 40.73583°N 74.16194°W / 40.73583; -74.16194
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1935
ArchitectWaddell & Hardesty; Waddell, Dr.J.A.L.
Architectural styleThrough-Truss Lift Bridge
NRHP reference No.80002484[1]
NJRHP No.1227[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 3, 1980
Designated NJRHPJuly 21, 1979
Dock Bridge
Coordinates40°44′09″N 74°09′43″W / 40.7358°N 74.1619°W / 40.7358; -74.1619
CarriesAmtrak, NJ Transit (West span)
and PATH and Amtrak/NJ Transit (East span)
CrossesPassaic River
Characteristics
Designpair of through-truss
vertical lift bridges
Clearance below24 ft (7.32 m) (closed)
135 ft (41.15 m) (open)
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks3 (West span),
3 (East span)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Structure gaugeAAR
Location
Map

Dock Bridge is a pair of vertical lift bridges carrying Amtrak, NJ Transit, and PATH trains across the Passaic River at Newark, Essex County and Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It is the seventh crossing from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 5.0 miles (8.0 km) upstream from it.[3] Also known as the Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift, it is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

History

[edit]

The bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) for its main line. The west span carries three tracks and opened in 1935 along with the west half of Newark Penn Station. The lift span is 230 feet (70 m) over bearings (clear channel 200 feet or 61 meters), the longest three-track lift span in the world when built.[4] The east spans opened in 1937 when the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M, later called PATH) shifted its rapid transit trains from the Centre Street Bridge to the newly built station.[5] With the opening of the eastern span, the PRR closed Manhattan Transfer station in the Kearny Meadows, where previously steam and electrical trains were changed and passengers could transfer to trains to New York Penn Station on the PRR or to Hudson Terminal on the H&M.[5]

Description

[edit]

The west span carries three tracks exclusively used by Amtrak and NJ Transit for Northeast Corridor intercity and commuter traffic between Newark and New York City. The east span carries two PATH tracks used by PATH's Newark-World Trade Center service and one NEC track shared by Amtrak and NJ Transit. Due partly to its use of the Dock Bridge, PATH is legally a commuter railroad under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration even though it has long operated as a rapid transit system.[6][7]

The lower 17 miles (27 km) downstream of the 90-mile (140 km) long Passaic River below the Dundee Dam is tidally influenced and navigable.[3] When closed the bridge has a vertical clearance of 24 feet (7.3 m) above mean high water and opens to clear 135 ft (41 m).[8] It is infrequently lifted and, prior to 2014,[9] had not received a request for a river traffic opening since 2004.[8] In 2011 regulations were changed so that it need not be open on demand (as it previously had[10]) but with a 24-hour notice.[11] During four-year removal of dredged materials from the Passaic the bridge is expected to open upwards of 10 times per day.[12] In 2020 Amtrak requested that bridge remain in closed position until such time as it can be rehabilitated.[13]

The Dock Bridge connecting Harrison and Newark

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 6, 2011. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis" (PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. July 2, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  4. ^ "Newark Dedicates Its New Terminal; New Bridge Also Ready" (PDF). The New York Times. March 24, 1935.
  5. ^ a b "New Station Open for Hudson Tubes". The New York Times. June 20, 1937. p. 1.
  6. ^ Vantuono, William C. (October 27, 2009). "Siemens lands PATH CBTC contract". Railway Age. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "Amtrak's Northeast Corridor: Information on the Status and Cost of Needed Improvements". U.S. Government Publishing Office. April 13, 1995. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  8. ^ a b U.S. Coast Guard, New York, NY (May 28, 2009). "Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Passaic River, Harrison, NJ, Maintenance. Notice of temporary deviation from regulations." Federal Register, 74 FR 25448.
  9. ^ "Due to the opening of the Amtrak Dock Bridge, service on the NWK-WTC line is suspended". Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  10. ^ "33 CFR 117.739 - Passaic River". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  11. ^ "Federal Register (Vol. 76, No. 204) October 21, 2011 Rules and Regulations" (PDF). GPO.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Higgs, Larry (October 29, 2014). "Fears that Passaic River dredging could delay rail commuters". NJ.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  13. ^ Higgs, Larry (August 15, 2020). "85-year-old train bridge in Newark delays riders. Amtrak working on plan to fix the problem". NJ.com.
[edit]
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