Outerbridge Crossing, New Jersey

According to allcitycodes, the Outerbridge Crossing is a cantilever bridge in the United States. The three-mile bridge spans the Arthur Kill, which forms the border between the states of New Jersey and New York, more precisely between the city of Perth Amboy and New York City ‘s Staten Island. The bridge carries State Route 440 and is a toll bridge.

Characteristics

The Outerbridge Crossing is a total of 3,093 meters in length, with a main span of 229 meters in the form of a cantilever truss bridge. The bridge deck is a maximum of 41 meters above the water and is 18.9 meters wide, with 2×2 lanes. It is one of the narrowest four-lane bridges in the New York area. State Route 440 runs across the bridge in New York. The toll plaza is on the Staten Island side. The west side of the bridge in New Jersey is industrial in character.

History

The bridge opened simultaneously with the Goethals Bridge on June 29, 1928. The bridge is named after Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, the first chairman of the then Port of New York Authority, and a resident of Staten Island. Many New Yorkers mistakenly assume that the bridge is so named because it is the farthest “crossing” from the city of New York City or the southernmost in New York State. Neither the Goethals nor the Outerbridge Crossing saw heavy traffic until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn opened in 1964. This was also partly due to the effects of the Great Depression and World War II. More recently, the bridge has undergone several repairs.

Road connections

The bridge carries State Route 440 in New Jersey which at the bridge becomes State Route 440 in New York. The bridge connects the city of Perth Amboy to Staten Island, but more broadly is a vital link between the sprawling suburbs of central New Jersey and New York, especially Brooklyn and Queens. It is an alternative to the route via the tunnels under the Hudson, but you have to pay three tolls to reach Manhattan. Not far west of the bridge is a large interchange complex that includes the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95 ), and Interstate 287.

Toll

The Outerbridge Crossing is a toll road, managed by the Port Authority. The toll is only levied towards New York and the toll rates are the same as for the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge and George Washington Bridge.

The toll rate depends on the time of day and whether you have an E-ZPass. In 2018, the cash toll was $15 all day, $12.50 during rush hour with E-ZPass and $10.50 outside rush hour with E-ZPass. Traffic actually pays for the return trip at once.

Traffic intensities

In 2012, 82,100 vehicles crossed the bridge daily, making it the busiest four-lane bridge to and from Staten Island.