The Victory Bridge is a highway bridge in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

that carries Route 35 over the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

, connecting the Middlesex County communities of

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

on the north and

Sayreville Sayreville is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also lo ...

to the south. The bridge is operated and maintained by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

(NJDOT).

The new bridge replaced the original Victory Bridge, a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

dedicated to the U.S. troops who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and opened in June 1926 at ceremonies attended by 200,000 people. At the time of its construction, the original was the longest such structure in New Jersey. The new bridge consists of twin structures (northbound and southbound), each carrying two , a and a . The southbound bridge also has a . The bridge was designed with a record-setting —the longest precast cantilever segmental construction in the United States. To reduce the construction time, the NJDOT selected the segmental

precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples include precast b ...

construction method for both the superstructure and substructure. The department estimated that by using this type of approach, it would reduce the duration of construction by at least one year and save millions of dollars in life cycle costs. Construction on the first half of the new high level fixed bridge across the Raritan River was completed on June 8, 2004. The old Victory Bridge was then demolished and the new northbound parallel bridge was constructed in its place. The new, northbound section of the bridge opened to traffic on September 2, 2005. The new high-level fixed bridge eliminates traffic delays caused when opening the former low-level

to allow boat traffic to pass through. At each end of the new bridge are concrete stanchions, containing the original bridge's dedication plaque on one side and the new one's on the other. On the bridge's light poles, a feature arriving with the new bridge, are plaques honoring various battles in which American troops participated. In the decade through 2014, nearly 80 individuals have attempted suicide by jumping off the new Victory Bridge, resulting in 22 deaths. In February 2011, The City of Perth Amboy sent a resolution to Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

and the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

requesting the addition of a fence along the Victory Bridge. Currently there are no phones along the bridge route but there are suicide hotline numbers listed along the bridge's route. Following the temporary closure of the pedestrian sidewalks and bike lanes in October 2014, NJDOT officials installed fences along both sides to prevent further suicides.

References

External links

* (old bridge)
Victory Bridge construction updateSuccess Story: New Jersey Goes Precast for Victory Bridge
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place =

, bridge = Victory Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Edison Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Raritan Bay Drawbridge , downstream signs = Bridges over the Raritan River Bridges completed in 1926 Bridges completed in 2004 Bridges in Middlesex County, New Jersey Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey Road bridges in New Jersey 1926 establishments in New Jersey Sayreville, New Jersey Perth Amboy, New Jersey Concrete bridges in the United States

See also

References

External links