Alloway Creek Bridge
Description
SOURCE: NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - NEW JERSEY HISTORIC BRIDGE DATA "The bridge is a center-bearing, steel-truss swing span with modified Warren pony truss approach span. The bridge was hand operated and the mechanism is in place, although the bridge has not been opened since the mid-1960s. It has ornamental finials, lattice work, and plaque on the tower. The bridge is the best example of its type in the southern part of the state. It is one of a small handful of documented surviving NJ Bridge Co. bridges in the United States.""The swing span is inoperable, but the operating mechanism remains extant. It is a center-bearing type, hand-powered by a crank attachment inset in the deck. The crank turned a pinion gear against a circular rack. The rack is mounted to the top of the center pier. The bridge was designed to open in either direction, and turns upon a center bearing. A box-shaped system of four girder with four balance wheels supported and balanced the bridge on the center pier when the bridge was in the open position. The south end of the bridge rests on steel rollers with axles perpendicular to the length of the bridge. They were hand operated by levers and designed to lift the bridge in the closed position, lock it in place, and provide it with a footing on the abutment. The swing span has timber pile fenders. It provided a 42'-channel to river navigation, and last opened in the mid-1960s. Numerous alterations have been made to the substructure and the approach span, but none seriously compromise the bridge's overall integrity of design. The original piers and abutments were masonry. In 1925 the center pier was widened and reinforced with concrete. In 1942 the south abutment was rebuilt with concrete, and in 1957 the abutments were raised by approximately 12 inches. In 1966 the northern pier and abutment were reinforced with concrete. In 1976, following a vehicular accident, an end post and portion of the lower chord of the west side of the pony truss were replaced and repairs made to the panel points. A vertical on the east side of swing span was replaced, and the lattice railings were removed and beam guard rails added. In 1979 the approach span was strengthened with the addition of longitudinal steel stringers that effectively relieved the pony trusses of load bearing responsibility. In 1991 the single-lane bridge was closed to vehicular traffic due to safety concerns and structural inadequacies."
Facts
- Overview
- Swing bridge over Alloway Creek on CR 623
- Location
- Salem County, New Jersey
- Status
- Closed to all traffic
- Future prospects
- Slated for demolition and replacement.
- History
- Built 1905, altered 1976, closed 1991
- Builder
- - New Jersey Bridge Co.
- Design
- Steel Swing Through truss, Center Bearing; Warren Pony Truss on east approach
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 48.9 ft.
Total length: 152.9 ft.
Deck width: 14.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 17.3 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +39.52810, -75.45063 (decimal degrees)
39°31'41" N, 75°27'02" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 18/461270/4375480 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Salem
- Average daily traffic (as of 2001)
- 700
- Inventory numbers
- NJ 1701399 (New Jersey bridge number)
BH 25485 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection report (as of October 2008)
- Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 33.1 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- February 13, 2021: New photo from Douglas Butler
- August 8, 2015: Updated by Douglas Butler: My Technical Drawing
- July 2, 2014: New Street View added by Ralph Demars
- October 25, 2011: Photos imported by Jason Smith
- June 19, 2011: Updated by Jodi Christman: Added description, altered date, bridge builder
- June 14, 2011: New photos from Jodi Christman
- March 15, 2011: Updated by Nathan Holth: This bridge is doomed.
- March 14, 2011: New photos from Doug Kerr
Sources
- HAER NJ-88 - New Bridge Road Alloways Creek Bridge, Spanning Alloways Creek on New Bridge Road (County Road No. 623), Hancocks Bridge vicinity, Salem County, NJ
- Doug Kerr
- Nathan Holth
- Jodi Christman - masterofchaos [at] outlook [dot] com
- NJDOT - Historic Bridge Survey
- Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
- Douglas Butler
Comments
Many people complain or say 'something should be done' but few are willing to step up and do something. There are people that frequent this site that can restore that bridge in a cost effective manner but without strong organized local support you will not change the county's mind.
If there is strong organized local support, send me a point of contact and I'll try to help.
Regards,
Art S.
I was stung by the comment that said people down here don't care about this bridge. We have begged our county freeholders, who own the bridge and the road on which it sits, to do something about it, but they won't. Not only is the bridge collapsing, so is the access road. The loss of the bridge has cost us a lot of money, because we have to drive further to reach the closest town. It has also closed what was a vital evacuation route in the event of a disaster involving the Salem nuclear plants.
Alloways Creek Bridge drawing.
This is a historical bridge, so why can't they move it to the side and make a fishing pier out of it, and replace the span? Other counties up north get all the support and help, but the south part of the state gets forgotten......... again!
I am surprised this bridge is still standing. I visited it last year knowing it was slated for replacement. This bridge is definitely on borrowed time. Southern New Jersey does not care for its few historic bridges as much as northern New Jersey.
A very unique span!
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/nj/salem/1701399/
This bridge no longer operates.