Outerbridge Crossing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Outerbridge Crossing |
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Outerbridge Crossing looking northwest towards New Jersey.
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| Coordinates | 40°31′30″N 74°14′49″W / 40.525°N 74.247°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of  Route 440/ NY 440 |
| Crosses | Arthur Kill |
| Locale | Perth Amboy, New Jersey and southwestern Staten Island, New York City, New York |
| Maintained by | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 10,140 feet (3,091 m) |
| Width | 62 feet (18.9 m) |
| Longest span | 750 feet (229 m) |
| Clearance above | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Clearance below | 143 feet (43.6 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | June 29, 1928 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 77,107 (2016) |
| Toll | (Eastbound only) As of August 29, 2019:
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The Outerbridge Crossing, also known as the Outerbridge, is a cantilever bridge that spans the Arthur Kill between Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Route 440, with the two roads connecting at the state border near the bridge's center. The Outerbridge Crossing is one of three vehicular bridges connecting New Jersey with Staten Island, and like the others, is maintained and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The others are the Bayonne Bridge (also carrying Route 440), which connects Staten Island with Bayonne, and the Goethals Bridge (carrying I-278, which connects the island with Elizabeth).
Description
The bridge was named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, the first chairman of the then-Port of New York Authority and a resident of Staten Island. Rather than call it the "Outerbridge Bridge", the span was labeled a "crossing", but many New Yorkers and others mistakenly assume the name comes from the fact that it is the most remote bridge in New York City and the southernmost crossing in New York state.
The bridge is of a steel cantilever construction, designed by John Alexander Low Waddell and built under the auspices of the Port of New York Authority, now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which currently operates it. It opened simultaneously with the Goethals Bridge on June 29, 1928. Both spans have similar designs. Neither bridge saw high traffic counts until the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964. Traffic counts on both bridges were also depressed due to the effects of the Great Depression and World War II.
In recent years, the bridge has undergone numerous repair jobs as a result of the high volume of traffic that crosses the bridge each day. On October 11, 2013, the Port Authority announced the completion of the bridge's repaving project.
On March 2, 2017, Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye announced the funding of a $230 million study into a potential replacement bridge.
Toll
As of December 6, 2015[update], the cash toll going from New Jersey to New York is $15 for cars and motorcycles; there is no toll for passenger vehicles going from New York to New Jersey. E-ZPass users are charged $12.50 for cars or $11.50 for motorcycles during peak hours (6–10 a.m. and 4–8 p.m. on weekdays; 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends), and $10.50 for cars or $9.50 for motorcycles during off-peak hours.
