The Goethals Bridge (pronounced "GŌ-thüls") connects Elizabeth, New Jersey to Staten Island, New York over the Arthur Kill. Presently operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the span was one of the first structures built by the authority. The bridge is part of Interstate 278, and named for Major General George Washington Goethals, who supervised construction of the Panama Canal and was the first consulting engineer of the Port Authority.
Goethals Bridge | |
|---|---|
| File:DSCN3796 goethalsbridge e.JPG The Goethals Bridge, seen from Staten Island | |
| Coordinates | 40°38′08″N 74°11′50″W / 40.6356°N 74.1972°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of I-278 |
| Crosses | Arthur Kill |
| Locale | Elizabeth, New Jersey and Staten Island, New York City |
| Maintained by | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 2,164.08 m (7,100 feet) |
| Width | 18.90 m (62 feet) |
| Longest span | 204.83 m (672 feet) |
| Clearance above | 4.3 m (14 feet) |
| Clearance below | 42.67 m (140 feet) |
| History | |
| Opened | June 29, 1928 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | $6.00 (eastbound) (E-ZPass) |
| Location | |
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A steel truss cantilever design by John Alexander Low Waddell, the bridge is 205 m long (672 feet) central span, 2,621 m long (8,600 feet) in total, 18.9 m wide (62 feet), has a clearance of 41.15 m (135 feet) and has four lanes for traffic. The authority had $3 million of state money and raised $14 million in bonds to build the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, the Goethals bridge construction began on September 1, 1925 and cost $7.2 million. It and the Outerbridge Crossing were opened on June 29, 1928. The Goethals Bridge replaced three ferries and augmented the existing Arthur Kill rail bridge. Its unusual mid-span height was a requirement of the New Jersey ports.
Connecting onto the New Jersey Turnpike, it is one of the main routes for traffic between there and Brooklyn via the Staten Island Expressway and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Until the bridge to Brooklyn was completed in 1964 the Goethals Bridge never turned a profit. The total traffic in 2002 was 15.68 million vehicles.
A New Goethals Bridge?
Template:Future road The Goethals Bridge has two 10-foot-wide (3 m) lanes in each direction, which do not meet the 12-foot (3.7 m) requirement of current highway design standards. The bridge also has no shoulders for emergency access. To meet modern standards and to address deficiencies on the bridge, a new span is being considered. A study in 1997 concluded that the optimal solution would be a parallel span. However, a more recent study suggested that the existing span had only 10 years of life left, even with the recent deck rehabilitation, and that the optimal solution would be to build an entirely new span. Both of these plans are still on the list of alternatives along with the "no build" option. It is likely that a new bridge would also include additional lanes of traffic, high-speed E-Z Pass lanes, and a reconstruction and widening of Interstate 278 from exit 4 in New York (NY 440 South) to NJ 439 in New Jersey.
Environmental Impact Statement
In October 2006, the United States Coast Guard issued an Environmental Impact Statement Newsletter outlining the "the following bridge-replacement alternatives":
- A single six-lane bridge south of the current alignment.
- A single six-lane bridge north of the current alignment.
- Twin three-lane replacement bridges north and south of the current alignment.
- Twin three-lane replacement bridges, one south, and one along the current alignment, with the latter being built after the demolition of the current bridge.
All alternatives propose the bridge[s] be 135 feet above the Arthur Kill shipping channel.
Some consideration was given for mass transit. The studies indicate a bus-only lane was not economically viable, but that a high occupancy vehicle lane open to buses as well as high occupancy autos would be appropriate during rush hours, if traffic supported it. Provision for rail transit was rejected; however, it was decided that whatever alternative was constructed, the design and structural integrity of whatever was constructed should ideally be able to retrofitted for such at a later date. The suggestion for a freight rail connection was dismissed as uneconomic.
The next "open houses" will be held in Elizabeth, NJ and Staten Island early in 2007.
Design Facts
According to the Bridge Replacement website:
- Any new bridge built in this corridor will feature
- 6 lanes (in a 3-3 format)
- A 12 foot wide right should and a 5 foot wide left shoulder
- A 10 foot pedestrian path on the north side of the bridge (along the westbound lanes)
- Most likely a 135 foot mean hight above water
- Though the bridge will have 6 lanes, it is not absolute as to whether the approach roads will be widened from 4 to 6 lanes
- Any mass transit on this corridor has not yet been solidified
- Improvements will be made
- On the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 13 toll plaza (and perhaps the entire interchange)
- On the Staten Island Toll Plaza
- On the Interstate 278/NY 440 Interchange
- While separate from the Bridge Replacement Project, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) may construct full movements at the Interstate 278/U.S. Route 1/9 Junction
External links
Source
United States Coast Guard, Environmental Impact Statement, Goethals Bridge Replacement, Newsletter 4, October 2006 [c/o Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, 517 W 35th St., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10001]