The Dingman's Ferry Bridge (also known as the Dingmans Bridge) is a
toll bridge across 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
Delaware Township, Pennsylvania and
Sandyston Township, New Jersey. 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 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
tons precludes large
RVs 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 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
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
fir
Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...
planks. These floor boards are held in place with
anchor plates 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, operated a
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
that connected the
Old Mine Road 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
The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
. 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 p ...
, 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.
See also
*
List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey
*
List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
*
List of crossings of the Delaware River
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