Riverton–Belvidere Bridge
Riverton–Belvidere Bridge | |
|---|---|
Riverton-Belvidere Bridge crossing the Delaware River and connecting western New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates | 40°49′44″N 75°05′05″W / 40.8288°N 75.0847°W |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Belvidere, New Jersey and Riverton, Pennsylvania |
| Official name | Riverton–Belvidere Toll Supported Bridge |
| Maintained by | Belvidere Delaware Bridge Company (1832-1929) Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (1929-present) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Total length | 653 feet (199 m) |
| Load limit | 8 short tons (7.3 t) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | None |
| Location | |
The Riverton–Belvidere Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Delaware River and connects Belvidere, New Jersey in the east with Riverton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania in the west.
There is no toll for crossing on either side; tolls were abolished by the Joint Commission for the Elimination of Toll Bridges in 1929. The bridge is 653 feet (199 m) long, and can carry a traffic load of 8 short tons (16,000 lb) from County Route 620 Spur (Water Street) in Belvidere to the former Pennsylvania Route 709 on the Riverton, Pennsylvania side of the river.
The board of freeholders for Warren County, New Jersey supported the replacement of the ferry with a bridge for safety of passengers. In 1832, the state created the Belvidere Delaware Bridge Company, which was paid to build a bridge from Riverton to Belvidere. The bridge was constructed in 1836 by Solon Chapin, a contractor from Easton, Pennsylvania.
The bridge survived two large storms in 1836 and 1841, but sustained major damage both times. In 1903, the floods that destroyed bridges along the Delaware River Valley destroyed the bridge. It was rebuilt the following year, in 1904, with a steel instead of wood foundation. The bridge has since been renovated several times but remains sound and operational.