Gregory Avenue Bridge, Steel bridge in Wallington, United States.
Gregory Avenue Bridge is a steel structure that carries four lanes of traffic across the Passaic River, connecting Passaic and Wallington where the county line divides Bergen and Passaic counties in northeastern New Jersey. The bridge spans the waterway with a straightforward design that prioritizes vehicle movement between the two communities.
A crossing existed here since before 1741, when a colonial footbridge stood just upstream; a 1766 wooden bridge was burned during Washington's 1776 retreat from Fort Lee. The Main Avenue Bridge, the seventh at this crossing, was built in 1906 by the Oswego Bridge Company. Its swing span was fixed closed in 1977, and in 1985 the operator's house and machinery were removed and the deck replaced.
The crossing links Passaic, once part of Acquackanonk, with Wallington, land that began as Walling Van Winkle's plantation. Paterson Plank Road was completed over the river here in 1841, and streetcars of the Public Service Railway later ran its full length.
The bridge carries two vehicular lanes and two sidewalks between Passaic and Wallington at the county line. Since 1985 it has stayed in a fixed closed position, so it no longer swings open for river traffic; the operator's house and machinery were removed that year. The lower Passaic here is tidal and partly navigable, and bridges downstream of mile 11.7 must still open under federal rules.
The bridge is the seventh structure at this Passaic River crossing; the first, a footbridge, stood upstream before 1741. Its swing span rests on ashlar abutments, and the centre tower is held together with eyebars rather than rivets. The operator's house and the machinery beneath it were removed in 1985, when the deck was also replaced.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,214 contributors worldwide.