Outerbridge Crossing

Outerbridge Crossing
The Outerbridge Crossing, seen from Tottenville, Staten Island. Perth Amboy, New Jersey is on the left; Staten Island, New York is on the right
Carries	4 lanes of NJ 440/NY 440
Crosses	Arthur Kill
Locale	Perth Amboy, New Jersey and southwestern Staten Island, New York City, New York
Maintained by	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Design	Steel Cantilever bridge
Total length	10,140 feet (3,093 m)[1]
Width	62 feet (18.9 m)
Longest span	750 feet (229 m)
Vertical clearance	14 feet (4.3 m)
Clearance below	135 feet (41.1 m)[1]
Opened	June 29, 1928; 83 years ago (June 29, 1928)
Toll	(eastbound) Cars $12.00 Cash, $9.50 peak with (E-ZPass), $7.50 off-peak with (E-ZPass)
Daily traffic	82,602 (2008)[2]

The Outerbridge Crossing is a cantilever bridge which spans the Arthur Kill. The "Outerbridge", as it is commonly known, connects Perth Amboy, New Jersey, with the New York City borough of Staten Island and carries NY-440 and NJ-440, each road ending at the respective state border.

The bridge was named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge (sometimes pronounced "ooterbridge") the first chairman of the then-Port of New York Authority and a resident of Staten Island.^[1][3][4] Rather than call it the "Outerbridge Bridge" the span was labeled a "crossing", but many New Yorkers and others mistakenly assume the name comes from the fact that it is the most remote bridge in New York City and the southernmost crossing in New York state.^[4][5]

View from top of tower through truss work

It is a steel cantilever construction, designed by John Alexander Low Waddell and built under the auspices of the Port of New York Authority, now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which currently operates it.^[4]

It opened simultaneously with the Goethals Bridge on June 29, 1928.^[6] Both spans have similar designs. Neither bridge saw high traffic counts until the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964. Traffic counts on both bridges were also depressed due to the effects of the Great Depression and World War II.

The Outerbridge Crossing carried 32,438,000 vehicles (both directions) in 2006, or approximately 90,000 each day. Tolls are collected in the eastbound direction only. As of September 18, 2011, the cash tolls going from New Jersey to Staten Island will be charged $12 for cars and $11 for motorcycles (there is no toll for passenger vehicles going from Staten Island to New Jersey). All E-ZPass users will be charged $7.50 for cars and $6.50 for motorcycles during off-peak hours (outside of 6-10 am and 4-8 pm on the weekdays; and outside of 11 am - 9 pm on the weekends) and $9.50 for cars and $8.50 for motorcycles during peak hours (6-10 am and 4-8 pm on the weekdays; and 11 am - 9 pm on the weekends).^[7]

In 2003, the Port Authority raised the speed limit for the three inner E-ZPass lanes at the toll plaza from 15 mph to 25 mph, separating these lanes from the rest of the eight-lane toll plaza by a barrier.^[8] Two years later, the tollbooths adjacent to the 25 mph E-ZPass lanes were removed and overhead gantries were installed with electronic tag readers to permit E-ZPass vehicles to travel at 45 mph in special high-speed lanes.^[9] Motorists using the high-speed E-ZPass lanes cannot use the Page Avenue exit, which is located immediately after the toll plaza.

In recent years, the bridge has undergone numerous repair jobs as a result of the high volume of traffic that crosses the bridge each day.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Jackson, Kenneth T.; New-York Historical Society (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 870. ISBN 0300055366. 
2. ^ "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. Appendix C. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT_TDR_Appendix_C.pdf. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
3. ^ "E. H. Outerbridge, Port Expert, Dies. Head Of Export And Import Firm And Ex-Chairman Of Port Of New York Authority.". The New York Times. November 11, 1932. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C11FB355516738DDDA80994D9415B828FF1D3. Retrieved March 9, 2008.  (note: his daughter was responsible for bringing lawn tennis to he US).
4. ^ ^{a b c} Richman, Steven M. (2005). The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 0813535107. 
5. ^ Yates, Maura (June 27, 2008). "Happy Bridge Birthday". Staten Island Advance. http://www.silive.com/transportation/index.ssf/2008/06/happy_bridge_birthday.html. Retrieved May 28, 2009. 
6. ^ "Two Bridges Open Over Arthur Kill". The New York Times: p. 35. June 30, 1928. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70F17F63558167A93C2AA178DD85F4C8285F9. Retrieved July 9, 2010. 
7. ^ "New Bridge & Tunnel Toll Rates and PATH Fares Effective 3:00 AM September 18, 2011". Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. http://www.panynj.gov/about/new-toll-fare-2011.html?tabnum=1. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
8. ^ "E-ZPass Speed Limit Increased to 25-mph at Outerbridge Crossing" (Press release). Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. June 19, 2003. http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=321. Retrieved August 8, 2009. 
9. ^ "Express E-ZPass Arrives Tomorrow at the Outerbridge Crossing" (Press release). Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. June 27, 2005. http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=638. Retrieved August 8, 2009. 

External links

• Port Authority: Outerbridge Crossing
• Outerbridge Crossing Historic Overview at Steve Anderson's nycroads.com

Coordinates: 40°31′30″N 74°14′48″W / 40.524914°N 74.246635°W / 40.524914; -74.246635