New Hope – Lambertville Bridge
| New Hope–Lambertville Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coordinates | 40°21′54″N 74°56′55″W / 40.36500°N 74.94861°WCoordinates: 40°21′54″N 74°56′55″W / 40.36500°N 74.94861°W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of  PA 179/ Route 179
|
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Lambertville, New Jersey and New Hope, Pennsylvania |
| Official name | New Hope-Lambertville Toll Supported Bridge |
| Maintained by | Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Total length | 1,053 feet (321 m) |
| Width | 23 feet (7 m) |
| Longest span | 171 feet (52 m) |
| Load limit | 4 tons |
| Clearance below | 13 feet (4 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 13,900 |
| Toll | None |
The New Hope–Lambertville Bridge, officially called the New Hope–Lambertville Toll Supported Bridge, is a six-span, 1,053-foot (321 m)-long bridge spanning the Delaware River that connects the city of Lambertville in Hunterdon County, New Jersey with the borough of New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The current steel truss bridge was constructed in 1904 at a cost of $63,818.81. It is owned and maintained as a toll-free bridge by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
The New Hope–Lambertville Bridge is a six-span, pin-connected Pratt through truss containing 962 tons of steel. Its total length is either 1,045 or 1,053 feet (321 m), depending on the source. Each span measures 171 feet (52 m). The bridge supports a cantilevered walkway on its southern side for pedestrians.
The New Hope–Lambertville's vertical truss members are 27 feet (8.2 m) in height. Three of its piers are stone filled and built on timber cribbing. The bridge's abutment, which is from the 1814 bridge, is square blocked masonry. Finally, utilities on the bridge include lighting for the walkway and an eight-inch (203 mm) diameter sewer line.
The original 1,051-foot (320 m)-long and 32-foot (9.8 m)-wide wooden covered bridge was built on September 12, 1814, replacing the service once provided by Coryell's Ferry. Its six wooden arches each measured 175 feet (53 m) long and 13 feet (4.0 m) high. Its designer, Lewis Wernwag, was nationally known for his covered bridges. The flood of 1841 heavily damaged the original bridge. A second wooden covered bridge was constructed in 1842, but was destroyed during the flood of 1903. As was the case with several of the Delaware River's other bridges at the time, the flood encouraged replacing the wooden structure with a modern steel bridge. Thus, the superstructure of the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge dates to 1904, when its steel truss spans were first built. The cost of the 1904 bridge was $63,818.81, several thousand dollars less than the $67,936.37 needed to build the 1814 structure.
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