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Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge 

Overview 

Route 7 /Wittpenn Bridge to be closed Friday and Satu1·day nights 

The Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge project is located within Jersey City (east 

side of the Hackensack River) and Kearny (west side of the river) in 

Hudson County. The Wittpenn Bridge carries Route 7 traffic over the 

Hackensack River and serves as a major connector between Routes 139 

and 1&9 Truck (1&9T) to the east, and the New Jersey Turnpike 

Interchange 15W and Newark/Jersey City Turnpike to the west. 

The Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge over the Hackensack River. 

Route 7 is a key component of the New Jersey Department of 

Transportation's (NJDOT) Portway Corridor, allowing traffic from the 

west to gain access to the Holland Tunnel and New York City, as well as 

business and industrial areas within Jersey City. Route 7 also serves as 

a main trucking route that provides for the movement of people and 

goods between the New York Metropolitan area and the greater area of 

Kearny and the Meadowlands. The improvements within this project will 

strengthen access to and between the Newark-Elizabeth Air/Seaport 

Complex, intermodal rail facilities, trucking and warehousing/transfer 

facilities, and the regional surface transportation system. These facilities 

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter!roads/rt7wittpenn/ 9/5/2014 
Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge, Overview, Construction Updates, Commuter Information Page 2 of 3 

and their access routes are the front door to global and domestic 

commerce for New Jersey and the greater metropolitan New York 

region. 

The project consists of the replacement of the Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge 

over the Hackensack River and the realignment of Fish House Road on 

the west side of the river. The new bridge will be located north of the 

existing bridge. 

The existing Wittpenn Bridge is a vertical lift bridge that was built in 

1930 and it is 2,169 feet long with 14 deck-girder spans and three 

through-truss approach spans, two tower spans and a 209-foot vertical 

lift main span. The bridge currently provides four 10 foot travel lanes 

(two eastbound and westbound) with no shoulders. There is no physical 

separation between opposing traffic on the bridge. 

The new vertical lift structure will carry two 12 foot through lanes, a 12 

foot auxiliary lane and a 8 to 10 foot right shoulder in each direction as 

well as a six foot sidewalk along the eastbound roadway. An eight foot 

median consisting of variable width inside shoulders and a median 

barrier will separate opposing traffic flows. The new structure will 

accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Also, the new vertical lift 

bridge will provide for a minimum vertical clearance of 70-feet above 

Mean High Water (MHW) EL 2.19, in the closed position as compared to 

35-feet for the existing lift bridge. 

A rendering of the new Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge. 

The replacement of the existing bridge has been designed to address 

the major needs and goals of the project: 

• Replace the structurally deficient bridge. 

• Meet current design criteria and improve traffic operation and 

safety. 

• Improve traffic service for the region. 

• Increase vertical clearance over the Hackensack River in the 

closed position to reduce vehicular and marine traffic conflicts. 

• Reduce maintenance costs and traffic disruptions. 

http://www. state .nj . us/transportation/ commuter/roads/rt7wittpenn/ 9/5/2014 
Route 7 Wittperm Bridge, Overview, Construction Updates, Commuter lnfonnation Page 3 of3 

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Copyright© State of New Jersey, 2002-2014 

Department ofT ransportation 

P.O. Box 600 

Trenton, NJ 08625-0600 

Last Updated: May 5, 2014 

http://www.state.nj .us/transportation/commuter/roads/rt7wittpenn/ 

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Puhtct: E:.>u !'.h 

9/5/2014