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The Governor Alfred E. Driscoll Bridge, (
colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...
referred to as the Driscoll Bridge) is a bridge on the
Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...
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 so ...
of
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 ...
, spanning the
Raritan River The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the North Jersey, northern and Central Jersey, central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near ...
near its mouth in
Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west b ...
. The bridge connects the Middlesex County communities of Woodbridge Township on the north with Sayreville on the south. With a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes, it is one of the world's widest and busiest motor vehicle bridges. Only 30 feet east of the Driscoll Bridge is the Edison Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 9. The bridge offers views of some of the taller buildings in the
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...
skyline, the
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
skyline, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing.


History

The northbound lanes of the bridge were opened to the public without fanfare on July 30, 1954. In 1955, a new pier was built to allow for potential expansion.https://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/publicat/historyedisonbr.pdf The span was originally built with two lanes in each direction, however this quickly proved to be inadequate, and in an attempt to reduce congestion, the bridge was restriped with six 10' foot lanes in 1957. In 1970, an expansion project began. The bridge was closed for reconstruction, to allow for the installation of a third column built on the 1955 piers in addition to a fully divided roadway deck. Work was completed in 1972, at which point the bridge was converted to serving ten lanes of traffic total. The bridge was formally renamed in 1974 for former
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 ...
Alfred E. Driscoll, who advocated for and oversaw the construction of the Garden State Parkway and
New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...
.Next phase of Driscoll Bridge plan set to start
''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...
'', March 22, 2007. "The original bridge was built in 1955 with two lanes in each direction, but in 1972, with Shore traffic increasing rapidly, a second span was built that created a bridge with five lanes in each direction. In 1974, former Gov. Thomas W. Driscoll was on hand as a plaque was unveiled officially renaming the bridge for him. Driscoll was governor from 1947 to 1954 and ordered construction of both the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway."
In 1984, the timber medians were replaced with concrete barriers, allowing for the addition of one lane in each direction. By the 2000s, the bridge were inadequate, as its narrowness and lack of emergency lanes created bottlenecks in each direction. Because of this, the bridge was later restriped to have twelve ten foot lanes, six in each direction. Driscoll Bridge project advances with today's action by Turnpike board
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 transport ...
press release dated April 20, 2002. Accessed December 13, 2008.
Construction on a new southbound bridge started on September 25, 2002, and the new bridge opened to traffic on May 3, 2006. The existing span was then closed for rehabilitation, and it reopened on May 20, 2009, with eight lanes and two shoulders. The new configuration has seven southbound lanes on the newly constructed span on Parkway South, and the existing span was reduced from twelve lanes to eight lanes, with the other two converted into shoulders. The northbound span is also divided, with four lanes on each side. There are a total of five lanes of Parkway North traffic and three right lanes at Exit 127 meaning that the west side contains four lanes for through traffic on the Parkway, and the east side contains three right lanes for Exit 127 and one lane for through traffic on the Parkway. For a time, the bridge's 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes made it "the widest motor-vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes", according to the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Town ...
. A project to repaint the original bridge began in 2012. The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway was approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge. However, in February 2020, the speed limit was raised to .


Tolls

All southbound traffic crossing the Driscoll Bridge pays a toll at either the Raritan Toll Plaza or at exit 125 on the
Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...
, which is just north of the toll plaza. As of January 1, 2023, the toll for passenger cars at the Raritan Toll Plaza is $2.10 with cash and $2.02 with E-ZPass. Southbound exit 125 is for E-ZPass users only and also has a toll of $2.02.


Murder on the bridge

On February 17, 2010, Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his daughter by throwing her off the bridge. The body of an infant matching the girl's description was found on the south bank of the
Raritan River The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the North Jersey, northern and Central Jersey, central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near ...
on April 24 and was later identified as the missing girl through
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
testing.DNA tests match baby thrown from Driscoll Bridge
May 3, 2010.


See also

* List of crossings of the Raritan River


References


External links


The History and Technology of the Edison Bridge & Driscoll Bridge
{{New Jersey Turnpike Authority Garden State Parkway Toll bridges in New Jersey Bridges completed in 1954 Bridges completed in 2006 Bridges over the Raritan River Bridges in Middlesex County, New Jersey Road bridges in New Jersey Sayreville, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Box girder bridges in the United States 1954 establishments in New Jersey