Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-30
VEHICLES ONLY
ON THE BRIDGE
Still Have Trouble Opening
and Closing Draw--TroIley
to Run Cars in a Few Days

AS unannounced as It closed the
draw of the state bridge between
this city, and South Amboy swung to
for traffic yesterday noon after be-
ing shut off for repairs since July II.
Although hardly In perfect condition
1t is expected that the rest of the
repair work can be done without
stopping traffic.
The draw as 1t Is now being oper-
ated. is slow and aggravating work,
as 1t must be turned by hand until
the engine mechanism has been re-
paired. Though the opening and
closing takes anywhere in the neigh
borhood of a half hour 1t is at least
certain, and provides a much better
condition of affairs than If the bridge
were closed until everything were
finished.
The draw. however. still remains
closed to the trolleys because OF
peculiar condition that has arisen.
With the installation OF the new
mechanism and the leveling up OF
the span it Is found that the South
Ainboy end is at least & foot above
the bridge level while at this side
there Is a drop of at least six inches
to the draw.
A pile driver arrived this morning
and 1t will take hut short while to
lower this side of the bridge. The
draw as ii is now cannot be changed
and all leveling will have to be done
at the approaches. Until this defect
has been remedied no trolleys Will
be able to cross.
The fact must not be lost sight of
that it may be necessary to close the
bridge again for a few days but all
possible effort is to be made to avoid
this inconvenience. II the bridge can
possibly be leveled up without inter-
fering with traffic 1t will be done. but
a closing at the most will only be III
effect for very few days.
The detour signs diverting all
traffic around through New Bruins
wick have been removed, but from
conditions at the bridge this morn
ing II is apparent that there are a
great number of motorists who are
unaware of the fact that they can
now cross the bridge. While the
traffic was heavy 1t was not as con-
tinuous through this city yesterday
afternoon and this morning as II
would have been had the opening OF
the bridge been heralded.
Conditions enrotite to the shore
through this city and South. Amboy
have now assumed pleasant as
pect, both because. OF the repairing
of the roadbed OF the bridge and
because of the opening of the new
road on the Pennsylvania right of
way. The opening of the road has
been expected for some time but
with the bridge closed 1t would
have afforded no advantages. Now,
however, the motorist finds all bar
riers down and a wide. smooth con-
crete road affording him a pleasant
solution to the old hole-in-the-wall.
With the opening of the state
bridge over Raritan river late yes
terday afternoon there was seen a
difference in the automobile travel
over the ferry of the Staten Island
Rapid Transit between this city and
Tottenville. The ferryboat Totten-
willie used as the spare boat Satur-
days and Sundays was kept on later
than 1t has been for the past several
weeks since the bridge was closed.
There was a noticeable difference in
the heavy trucking early this morn
ing passing over Staten Island from
the farming, district below South
Amboy TO New York. The early
boat this morning took many over
the sound.