Bridge Street Bridge (Trenton)
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The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Lower Free Bridge, Warren Street Bridge or Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania (Petit)
through truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or s ...
that crosses over the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
between Trenton,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and Morrisville,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. Owned and operated by the
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly along the D ...
(DRJTBC), it is known as the Trenton Makes Bridge because of large lettering of its motto that was installed on the south side of the structure in 1935 that states, "TRENTON MAKES - THE WORLD TAKES". In addition to being an important bridge from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, this structure is a major landmark in the city of Trenton. It is signed as US 1 Business, though it does not officially carry that route. This bridge is the southernmost free road crossing of the Delaware; no toll is collected. All road crossings downstream are tolled in the westbound direction (leaving New Jersey).


History

The bridge was originally 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 ...
operated by the Trenton Delaware Bridge Company. It opened on January 30, 1806, and was the first bridge across the Delaware. In 1835, the
Camden and Amboy Rail Road The Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, usually shortened to the Camden and Amboy Railroad (C&A), was a railway company in New Jersey. It was incorporated in 1830 and opened its first line in 1832, making it one of the oldest ra ...
bought the bridge and the competing
Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad The Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad was a railroad from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Trenton, New Jersey. Opened in 1832, it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in 1871. The majority of it is now part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. ...
to end the rivalry and the attempts by the P&T to put tracks over the bridge. The extension over the bridge was built soon after, and it was later connected to the C&A. At the time, the Lower Trenton Bridge was the first railroad bridge in the United States to be used for interstate rail traffic. The bridge was rebuilt in 1875, 1876, 1892, and 1898 to keep up with the growing demands of rail traffic. A new alignment for the railroad was completed in 1903, crossing the river on the Morrisville-Trenton Railroad Bridge. At this point, roadway trusses dating to 1876 were left in place while railroad girders built in 1892 and 1898 were relocated to the
Long Bridge Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
in Washington, D.C. On March 31, 1918 the bridge, then owned by the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
, was sold to the state governments and tolls were removed. The company was dissolved September 15, 1919 in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and June 9, 1920 in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. With the removal of tolls, the
Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...
was moved to the bridge from the tolled
Calhoun Street Bridge The Calhoun Street Toll Supported Bridge (also known as the Trenton City Bridge) is a historic bridge connecting Calhoun Street in Trenton, New Jersey across the Delaware River to East Trenton Avenue in Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ...
in 1920. The bridge was then designated
US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ma ...
in 1927; it was replaced by the current bridge in 1928. In 1952 US 1 was moved to the new Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge, and for a time the old bridge was designated Alternate US 1. It is now marked as Business US 1, but only on the New Jersey side. The "TRENTON MAKES   THE WORLD TAKES" sign on the south side of the bridge was installed in 1935 and first replaced in 1981. The slogan was originally "The World Takes, Trenton Makes" and came from a contest sponsored by the Trenton Chamber of Commerce in 1910. S. Roy Heath, the former Heath Lumber founder and New Jersey State Senator, coined the phrase. In 2005, the sign was replaced with one featuring higher-efficiency neon lighting, with better waterproofing than the old sign, to help reduce maintenance costs. In 2018, the neon tubes were replaced with an array of light-emitting diodes, greatly decreasing electricity costs and allowing the sign to be programmed to display multiple colors, patterns and flashing sequences. Numerous holidays have a particular color pattern, and members of the public can submit requests to honor other groups or events.


Appearances in popular culture

The "TRENTON MAKES   THE WORLD TAKES" sign can be seen in *at the end of the film ''
Human Desire ''Human Desire'' is a 1954 American film noir drama starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford directed by Fritz Lang. It is loosely based on Émile Zola's 1890 novel '' La Bête humaine''. The story had been filmed twice befo ...
'' (1954) starring
Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...
. He is a locomotive engineer who drives a train across the river and the sign can be seen in the background. *the 1983 movie '' Baby, It's You'' as part of a road trip to the Jersey Shore *the 1988 movie ''
Stealing Home ''Stealing Home'' is a 1988 American coming of age romantic drama film written and directed by Steven Kampmann and William Porter (billed as Will Aldis). The film stars Mark Harmon, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman, Harold Ramis, William McN ...
'' when Mark Harmon's bus crosses the bridge *Trenton's
Poor Righteous Teachers Poor Righteous Teachers was a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers was known as a socially and politically conscious hip hop group, with musical content inspire ...
1990 video of their song "
Rock Dis Funky Joint ''Holy Intellect'' is the debut album by hip-hop group Poor Righteous Teachers, famous for its pro- Five-Percenter messages. It includes "Rock Dis Funky Joint", which sampled "Slippin' into Darkness" by War, a 1970s funk band. The album is broken ...
" *on the cover of
The Cryptkeeper Five The Cryptkeeper Five (sometimes referred to as CK5) are an American punk rock/rock and roll band formed in 1997 in Trenton, New Jersey. History Vocalist Johnny Ott, guitarist Jimmy Ray, and drummer D.T. Graves (on and off) have been in CK5 sinc ...
's 2004 album ''Trenton Makes''. *the 2007 film Rocket Science *the unaired pilot of ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
'' *the 2012 comedy film ''
One for the Money "One for the Money" is an English-language children's rhyme. Children have used it as early as the 1820s to count before starting a race or other activity. The full rhyme reads as: One for the money, Two for the show; Three to make ready, And f ...
'', during the opening scene where Katherine Heigl's character narrates that she is from a "blue collar chunk o' Trenton called 'The Burg.'" *the
2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former Governor of Massachusetts, Massachuset ...
during
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
's Keynote Address *the beginning of the '' Gangland'' episode about Trenton *the logo of the
Trenton Titans The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Tren ...
. *the title of the 2018 novel '' Trenton Makes'' by
Tadzio Koelb Tadzio Koelb (English: /taːdʐʉ kœlb/; born 1971) is an American émigré novelist, translator, and critic based in Belgium. Career Koelb's first novel, ''Trenton Makes'', appeared in March 2018. It received favorable reviews in the ''The New ...
. * ilming location; sign not seen indenouement (season 7, episode 12) of the TV Serie
"Elementary" (2019)
where Sherlock Holmes apparently is killed by "Odin Reichenbach" and his body is lost in the (Delaware) river below the footwalk. *Gus Johnson’s remark for a 3-point basket by Seton Hall Basketball guard Myles Powell *''
The Hot Zone ''The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story'' is a best-selling 1994 nonfiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. The basis of the book ...
'' season 2, episode 3 *the 2023 film ''
The Sweet East ''The Sweet East'' is a 2023 American satirical surrealist road film directed by Sean Price Williams in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Nick Pinkerton. It stars Talia Ryder, Earl Cave, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy O. Harris, Jac ...
'' as part of a road trip scene from Baltimore to a protest in New Jersey


Gallery

File:2023-09-19 22 25 43 Night view west towards the Trenton Makes Bridge from the east bank of the Delaware River in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg, The bridge at night, from the side of southbound, Trenton File:Old Trenton Ferry, Trenton, NJ - area view.jpg, Information sign by the bridge entrance describing the Trenton Ferry and
George Washington's reception at Trenton George Washington's reception at Trenton was a celebration hosted by the Ladies of Trenton social club on April 21, 1789, in Trenton, New Jersey, as George Washington, then president-elect, journeyed from his home at Mount Vernon to First inaug ...
on April 21, 1789.


See also

* * * *


References


External links

*
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission - Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge


{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
, bridge = Lower Trenton Bridge , bridge signs =
, upstream =
Calhoun Street Bridge The Calhoun Street Toll Supported Bridge (also known as the Trenton City Bridge) is a historic bridge connecting Calhoun Street in Trenton, New Jersey across the Delaware River to East Trenton Avenue in Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ...
, upstream signs = , downstream =
Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge The Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge is one of three road bridges connecting Trenton, New Jersey with Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Opened on December 1, 1952, it carries U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and is owned and operated by the Delawa ...
, downstream signs = Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Railroad bridges in New Jersey Railroad bridges in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Railroad bridges Buildings and structures in Trenton, New Jersey Lincoln Highway U.S. Route 1 Bridges completed in 1806 Bridges completed in 1928 Bridges over the Delaware River Bridges in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bridges in Mercer County, New Jersey Road bridges in New Jersey Road bridges in Pennsylvania Former toll bridges in New Jersey Former toll bridges in Pennsylvania 1928 establishments in New Jersey Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System 1928 establishments in Pennsylvania Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States