CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge, Railway bridge in Newark Bay, United States
The CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge is a vertical-lift railway bridge crossing Newark Bay and connecting two areas with four railroad tracks. The structure features steel truss construction with two separate shipping channels running beneath it.
An earlier crossing built by the Central Railroad of New Jersey existed before this one, but it could not handle the growing shipping traffic adequately. The current lift bridge was completed in 1926 and replaced the previous design.
The bridge served as a vital link for workers traveling between neighborhoods and helped shape how the region grew. For decades, it was simply the way people crossed the bay to reach their jobs and homes on the other side.
The bridge allows smaller vessels to pass beneath it without raising, so most watercraft can travel through on quieter days without waiting for the spans to lift. Visitors should know that the structure is now closed to regular traffic and can only be viewed from nearby vantage points.
A tragic accident in 1958 resulted in a commuter train falling into the bay, but this dark chapter is often overshadowed by the bridge's engineering achievement. Today, it stands as a reminder of both human progress and the risks that early rail transport faced.
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