GSP's Driscoll Bridge NJ fully open May 20 - at 15 lanes widest in US

New Jersey Turnpike Authority says work was finished on the new Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway with all 15 lanes open from May 20 2009. The bridge at Milepost 126 just south of the interchange with the New Jersey Turnpike consists of two heavily rebuild and rehabilitated spans and a third new span side by side over the  Raritan River in Perth Amboy, 42km (26 miles) southwest of Central Park in New York City.

The Driscoll Bridge is the Garden State Parkway's gateway to the Jersey Shore and by travel lane count (15) it is now the widest bridge in the US. It pips the George Washington Bridge operated by the Port Authority of New York New Jersey with 14 travel lanes. Equal third in travel lane count each with 12 travel lanes are three bridges:

- Verrazano Narrows Bridge operated by Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority (NYMTA)

-  San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge operated by the Bay Area Toll Authority

- Woodrow Wilson Bridge I-495 over the Potomac River operated by Maryland DOT (tax funded)

Driscoll Bridge is located on the no-trucks section of the Garden State Parkway north of MP105 (Asbury Park) with a gross vehicle weight rating limit of 3.18t (7000pds). Travel lanes were originally 3m (10ft) but are now 3.3m (11ft) width.

Maryland's Woodrow Wilson Bridge can pip Driscoll in deck width if not travel lane number

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge with full 3.65m (12ft) travel lanes and four roadways with shoulders both sides plus a bike/pedestrian way is probably the widest bridge in the US in deck dimensions (CHECKING THIS).

Work on the Driscoll Bridge extending over six years and costing $225m expanded capacity from six lanes each direction on two spans or 12 travel lanes to eight travel lanes northbound and seven lanes southbound.

The new third span to the west of the two older spans accommodates the seven lanes southbound and has a shoulder lane on each side.

The two old and rehabbed spans carry two separate northbound roadways comprising 4 lanes plus shoulder lane each side. The most easterly bridge and roadway connect to the set of ramps ahead at the New Jersey Turnpike crossing and an interchange with I-287 while the central span carries through-traffic northbound.

The old spans each have a deck width of 18.3m (60ft) and the new span 28.3m (93ft) for a total deck width of 64.9m (213ft). The bridge is 1335m (4379ft) long of 27 steel plate girder spans the widest being a navigation channel span of 76m (250ft) with a vertical ship clearance underneath of 41m (135ft).

Driscoll Bridge carries about 225k vehicles/day but with 15 lanes is rated to have a capacity of over 300k. George Washington Bridge is the busiest bridge in the country carrying about 275k/day average.

earlier reports:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/1492

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/227

TOLLROADSnews 2009-05-31