CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge

The Central Railroad of New Jersey constructed a four track railroad bridge that consisted of four main lift spans, opening in 1926, replacing an outdated two track span built in 1901. The bridge connected Elizabethport and Bayonne at the southern end of Newark Bay. The designer of this bridge was J.A.L. Waddell. On September 15, 1958, a commuter train plunged off the south span which had been opened for marine traffic, killing 48 people, including former New York Yankees second baseman Snuffy Stirnweiss. In 1966 the French freighter S.S. Washington collided with the north east lift span, rendering two tracks unusable. When the Aldene Plan went into effect in May of 1967 the only passenger service on the bridge was the Bayonne-Cranford shuttle, known commonly as the "Scoot". The last freight train crossed the bridge in 1976 just prior to the formation of Conrail, and the last passenger train left Bayonne's Eighth Street Station on August 6, 1978. Despite Bayonne's efforts to save the bridge, demolition of the central lift spans began in July 1980 after the Coast Guard declared the structure a navigational hazard to ships. The trestle and approaches were removed in 1987-1988 when it became apparent that a replacement span was no longer feasible.