Betsy Ross Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Betsy Ross Bridge crossing theDelaware River in February 2023 | |
| Coordinates | 39°59′09″N75°04′00″W / 39.98595°N 75.06676°W /39.98595; -75.06676 |
| Carries | 6 lanes of Route 90 (NJ side) |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Philadelphia (Bridesburg),Pennsylvania andPennsauken Township, New Jersey |
| Official name | Betsy Ross Bridge |
| Named for | Betsy Ross |
| Maintained by | Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey |
| ID number | 4500011 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steelcontinuous truss bridge |
| Total length | 8,485 feet (2,586 meters) |
| Width | 105 feet 4 inches (32.11 meters) |
| Longest span | 729 feet (222 meters) |
| Clearance above | 37.66 feet (11.48 meters) |
| Clearance below | 135 feet (41 meters) |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $103 million[1] |
| Opened | April 30, 1976 (48 years ago) (1976-04-30)[2] |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 39,980 (2000) |
| Toll | $6.00 (westbound) (E-ZPass) |
| Location | |
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TheBetsy Ross Bridge is acontinuous steel truss bridge spanning theDelaware River fromPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania toPennsauken, New Jersey. It was built from 1969 to 1974, and opened in April 1976, during the American Bicentennial Year. It was originally planned to be named as the "Delair Bridge", after a parallelingvertical lift bridge owned byPennsylvania Railroad, which is now used byConrail Shared Assets Operations andNew Jersey Transit'sAtlantic City Line (both bridges NJ terminus are in thePennsauken neighborhood of Delair), but was instead later named forBetsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress and reputed creator of thefirst American flag in 1776. It was the first automotive bridge named for a woman in the United States,[2] and the second U.S. bridge overall named for a woman afterIowa's Boone High Bridge was renamed theKate Shelley High Bridge in 1912.[3]
Betsy Ross Bridge is located adjacent to the mouth ofFrankford Creek. During construction, thousands of headstones from historicMonument Cemetery were used asriprap on the embankments built for the bridge, some of which can be seen along the edge of the Delaware River near the bridge during low tide.[4]
Construction began in 1969, and was completed in 1974. However, the bridge did not open to traffic until April 30, 1976[2] due to numerous problems with the communities where the bridge's ramps to and from Richmond Street were located. The problems, including traffic and especially heavy trucks, were also related to the highway route's planned extension to the northwest from theDelaware River, acrossNortheast Philadelphia to connect with theRoosevelt Expressway. The cancellation of this extension, the planned Pennsylvania Route 90, known as thePulaski Expressway, resulted in the so-called "Evel Knievel"ghost ramps with unfinished bridges and flyover ramps, some of which were later constructed to serve nearbyAramingo Avenue in Philadelphia'sBridesburg section. The route serves as a high-level multi-lane with six lanes, separated by a concrete median barrier, bypassing the three-laneTacony-Palmyra Bridge, which has adrawbridge on the span.
Construction in 1988 connected the bridge toNew Jersey Route 90, allowing drivers to use Route 90 to accessRoute 73, rather than viaU.S. Route 130.[5]
In 1997, work to construct new ramps to the Pennsylvania side began. It was completed in 1999.[6]
The bridge has a total length of 8,485 feet (2,586 m), and a main span of 729 feet (222 m). Though originally constructed with eight lanes, the bridge was reduced to six lanes with twoshoulders in 2000, a median barrier was also paced on the deck. The bridge is owned and operated by theDelaware River Port Authority.
When approaching the exits fromI-95 in Philadelphia for the bridge, drivers see signs referring to NJ Route 90. Beyond the toll plaza, which is on the New Jersey side, Route 90 continues as an expressway with maximum speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h), and in a few miles ends with a merge onto southbound Route 73. The toll plaza (westbound tolls only) is 12 lanes wide, and since 2000 has been a participatingE-ZPass facility.
A $6.00 one-way toll is charged entering Pennsylvania for passenger vehicles (7,000 lb (3,200 kg) or less gross vehicle weight). An $18 credit is given on a per tag basis for New Jersey-issuedE-ZPass tags that crossed one of the four DRPA bridges 18 times in a calendar month. This discount had been suspended in 2010 but was since reinstated.[7] Trucks, commercial vehicles, mobile homes, and recreational vehicles (weighing at least 7,000 lb (3,200 kg) gross vehicle weight) pay $9 cash per axle. Seniors aged 65 and over can use a discount program to pay $3.00 per trip with New Jersey E-ZPass.
On July 17, 2024, the DRPA approved an increase in the toll for passenger vehicles from $5.00 to $6.00, which went into effect on September 1, 2024.[8]
In 2011, the DRPA initiated the process of awarding an engineering contract to plan out the redecking of the bridge, as the concrete deck, its asphalt overlay, and the joints between the concrete have deteriorated after 35 years of service. Upon approval of the contract by the DRPA Board, the study is expected to take 30 months. No cost estimates or time frame for the actual redecking project have been announced.[9]
With related improvements toInterstate 95 throughNortheastern Philadelphia county,[10] the Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange Project (Exit 26) was initiated in March 2015[11] to replace the decking on the ramps on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge and complete the access ramps to Aramingo Avenue.[12]
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In South Jersey, there will be partial lane closings this month on Route 73, between Route 130 in Pennsauken and High Street in Maple Shade, for work on Route 90. The latter will connect the Betsy Ross Bridge across the Delaware River to Route 73 in Burlington County this fall. Bridge traffic must now go north on Route 130 in Camden County to reach Route 73 before continuing east.
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