Chaplain Washington and Harry Laderman Bridges | |
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 The Harry Laderman and Chaplain Washington bridges in 2007, seen from the Passaic River looking downstream | |
| Coordinates | 40°44′31″N74°07′23″W / 40.7420489°N 74.1229440°W /40.7420489; -74.1229440 (Chaplain Washington-Harry Laderman Bridge) |
| Carries |   I-95 /N.J. Turnpike |
| Crosses | Passaic River |
| Locale | Kearny, New Jersey andNewark, New Jersey |
| Other name(s) | Washington & Laderman Memorial Bridge |
| Named for | John P. Washington,U.S. Army lieutenant duringWorld War II;Harry Laderman, late employee of the NJTA |
| Owner | New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) |
| Maintained by | NJTA |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 7,294 feet (2,223 m) |
| Width | 104 feet (32 m) |
| No. oflanes | 16 (8 on Washington Bridge, 8 on Laderman; 6 northbound, 6 southbound, 4 shoulder lanes) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1952 (Washington Bridge);1970 (Laderman Bridge) |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Chaplain Washington and Harry Laderman Bridges | |
| References | |
| [1][2] | |
TheChaplain Washington Memorial Bridge and theHarry Laderman Memorial Bridge are apair of bridges on theNew Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) crossing thePassaic River innortheasternNew Jersey. Unlike most twin bridges, each bridge carries traffic in both directions: the 1952 Washington Bridge carries the eastern spur of the Turnpike[3] while the 1970 Laderman Bridge carries its western spur. The two spurs split just south of the bridges, run adjacent over the river crossing, and then diverge just north of it.
The bridges pass over the Passaic River, connectingNewark inEssex County withKearny inHudson County. In Newark, the viaducts leading to the bridges align for the southbound merge/northbound separation of the eastern and western spurs just north of theSouthern Mixing Bowl interchange withInterstate 78.[4] The southern end of the bridges cross under thePulaski Skyway (U.S. 1-9)[5][6] and passes by theEssex County Resource Recovery Facility and over theConrailPassaic and Harsimus Line.
In Kearny, the bridges cross over the railroad right-of-way of thePATH system, the ConrailCenter Street Branch,NJ Transit Rail Operations, and theNortheast Corridor. They soon enter the Kearny Marshes ofNew Jersey Meadowlands, where they diverge[7][8] and soon cross over the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike (CR 508).
The Chaplain Washington Bridge ends before theBelleville Turnpike and the eastern spur briefly touches ground before ascending to cross the Hackensack on the Lewandowski Bridge.[9] The Laderman Bridge reaches its northern end in Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area at theBelleville Turnpike,[10] and the western spur continues pastMeadowlands Environment Center and theMeadowlands Sports Complex. The two spurs eventually merge again north of theVince Lombardi Park & Ride across theHackensack River inBergen County.
The Chaplain Washington Bridge was built in 1952 as part of the then-mainline route, now the eastern spur, of the New Jersey Turnpike. It is named after LieutenantJohn P. Washington, who was one of 4 chaplains who gave their lives to save soldiers during the sinking of theSS Dorchester inWorld War II.
18 years later, the Harry Laderman bridge opened directly east of the Washington Bridge as part of the building of the turnpike's western spur extension. This bridge is named after toll booth operator Harry Laderman, an employee of theNew Jersey Turnpike Authority who was killed on the job after a truck slammed into his toll booth at Exit 16E.[11][12]
The NJTA estimates that both the Harry Laderman and Chaplain Washington bridges have the highest rate of truck traffic throughout the entire NJ Turnpike system of highways.[2] The Laderman is rated as structurally deficient on theNational Bridge Inventory condition rating scale with numerous cracks, flares, and structural fatigue.[1][13] The NJTA announced plans in 2014[14] to rehabilitate the bridge and investigate the structural integrity of the bridge and how to repair it.[2] As of 2019, the bridge’s rehabilitation was about 69 percent complete.[13]
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New Jersey portalCrossings of thePassaic River | ||||
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