The Dingmans Bridge (also known as the Dingman's Ferry Bridge) is a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

across the Delaware River between Delaware Township, Pennsylvania and

Sandyston Township, New Jersey Sandyston Township is a small rural township in Sussex County, New Jersey. It is located in the northwestern part of the state near the Pennsylvania border. The township is surrounded by and part of many national and state parks. As of the 2010 ...

. Owned and operated by the Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company, it is the last privately-owned toll bridge on the Delaware and one of the few remaining in the United States. It is also the only bridge on the Delaware to toll traffic entering New Jersey. The bridge lies south of the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge, and well north of the

Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge The Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge (also known as the Interstate 80 Toll Bridge) is a toll bridge that carries Interstate 80 across the Delaware River at the Delaware Water Gap Delaware Water Gap is a water gap on the border of the U.S. states ...

along Interstate 80. This crossing location is particularly useful for Pennsylvanians commuting to New Jersey or New York City.

Operations

, the toll for automobiles is $2.00 each way. Books of 40 tickets can be purchased from the toll collector for $40.00, effectively lowering the toll to $1.00 for frequent users. The bridge's toll booth, located on the Pennsylvania side, is staffed by a single toll collector who stands in between the two lanes of traffic, collecting toll fees by hand. No toll is charged on Christmas Day, when the booth is unattended. Although the bridge is within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, government employees pay the toll, unless responding to an emergency with lights and sirens on. Bicyclists may cross for free, but pedestrians are not allowed due to the narrow lanes. An height restriction coupled with a weight restriction of four

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s precludes large

RVs A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

and trucks from crossing. Because the Bridge Company is responsible for its own repairs, it employs an engineering firm certified for bridge inspection to regularly and thoroughly inspect the bridge from the tops of the

trusses A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...

to the underwater foundations. Each year, the bridge company closes the bridge the second week after Labor Day to conduct any repairs needed to maintain the structural integrity of the bridge and to replace or flip the salt-treated British Columbia fir planks. These floor boards are held in place with

anchor plate An anchor plate, floor plate or wall washer is a large plate or washer connected to a tie rod or bolt. Anchor plates are used on exterior walls of masonry buildings, for structural reinforcement against lateral bowing. Anchor plates are made o ...

s and collar nails which results in a characteristic rattling of the deck with the traffic moving.

History

Origins

In 1735, Andrew Dingman, a Dutch pioneer from

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Columbia County. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in the ...

, operated a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

that connected the

Old Mine Road Old Mine Road is a road in New Jersey and New York said to be one of the oldest continuously used roads in the United States of America. At a length of , it stretches from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to the vicinity of Kingsto ...

in Sussex County, New Jersey to the Bethany Turnpike (now U.S. Route 209) in Delaware Township in Pike County. The ferry thrived for over a century as pioneers utilized this important river crossing to move westward. Crossing on the ferry took some time; the ferryman on the western (Pennsylvania) bank had to be summoned by a bell on the eastern (New Jersey) shore. A house was built near the present-day bridge in 1803 by Judge Daniel W. Dingman, who was said to hold court in his bare feet. Still standing, the house is on the state and national historic registers.

First four bridges

In 1836, the first bridge was built by the Dingmans. Under the terms of its charter, churchgoers, schoolchildren, and funeral processions were given free passage, a condition that is still in effect today. The first bridge lasted until 1847 when high water washed away the Milford Bridge upstream and swept the debris into Dingman's Bridge. After a brief life, the second bridge was destroyed four or five years after the first, in a severe windstorm. A third bridge was constructed in 1856, but, being of poor quality, it fell apart by 1862. The ferry was operated once again by the Dingmans until the property was sold in 1875 to John W. Kilsby, Sr. Kilsby's family operated the ferry until the turn of the twentieth century when the current bridge was constructed using some materials recycled from a railroad bridge on the Susquehanna River. This bridge has survived major floods in 1903, 1955, 2005, and 2006.

Later years

Dingman named his original plot of land Dingman's Choice. The village of Dingman's Choice, which became quite identified with the ferry, had its name changed by the Post Office to Dingmans Ferry in 1868. Records from an early logbook show tolls of 40 cents for a

horseless carriage Horseless carriage is an early name for the motor car or automobile. Prior to the invention of the motor car, carriages were usually pulled by animals, typically horses. The term can be compared to other transitional terms, such as wireless pho ...

, 25 cents for a two-horse wagon, 10 cents for a horse and rider, 5 cents for a bicycle, and 2 cents for a footman. Under the terms of the original charter, no toll was charged for individuals traveling to church or a funeral, a custom which is still practiced presently.

References

Notes Sources *

External links

* *
Spanning the Gap The newsletter of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Vol. 15 No. 2 Summer 1993
* {{Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Bridges over the Delaware River Toll bridges in New Jersey Toll bridges in Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1900 Bridges in Pike County, Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania Road bridges in New Jersey Road bridges in Pennsylvania Sandyston Township, New Jersey Relocated buildings and structures in New Jersey Wrought iron bridges in the United States Transportation buildings and structures in Sussex County, New Jersey 1900 establishments in New Jersey 1900 establishments in Pennsylvania Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States