Court Street Bridge

Information and Findings From New Jersey's Historic Bridge Inventory

Summary

The center-bearing swing-span Warren thru truss bridge with two steel deck girder approach spans is supported on a concrete substructure. Alterations such as reinforcement of the lower chords in 1974 and repairs to floorbeams and stringers have not compromised the integrity of design. The bridge is one of the only remaining operable through truss swing spans in NJ. It was built by a prominent local contractor, and is a technologically significant example of a rare surviving bridge type.

Setting/Context

The bridge carries a 2-lane urban connector over a major river between downtown Hackensack and Bogota. A concrete batching plant and the Bergen County Court House are in close proximity to the bridge. The S.S. Ling Submarine is moored just upstream of the bridge. This bridge is the upstream-most movable span still in operation on the Hackensack River.

Physical Description

Constructed in 1907, the 317' long center-bearing through truss swing-span bridge supported on a concrete substructure has steel deck girder approach spans. The truss has riveted connections, and the diagonals and top and bottom chord members are composed of back-to-back channels with lacing. The verticals are 4 angles with lacing. The operating mechanism of the swing-span has undergone several maintenance repairs and remains operational. The operators house, set on the upstream corner of the Hackensack side of the river, does not appear to date to the original construction, however no documentation of the house was found. The original decorative metal railings are intact at the approach spans but chain-link-fences were placed along the sidewalks on the swingspan in 1974. The timber fenders at the swing-span piers have been reconstructed several times. In 1950 the original concrete jack arch deck was replaced with a reinforced slab and the stringers were encased. In 1974 the truss lower chord was reinforced for its full length, plates were added at the bottom flanges of the end floor beams, and new stringer seat angle connections were added at the floor beams.

Historical and Technological Significance

The riveted through truss bridge is one of several swing-span crossings of the Hackensack River, an important navigable waterway instrumental in the growth and industrial development of Bergen County. Constructed in 1907, the span replaced an earlier swing-span bridge. The builder, F.R. Long Company, was a New York firm that was a prolific bridge contractor in Bergen County, and it incorporated in New Jersey in 1899 moving its major operations to Hackensack at a site adjacent to the bridge. Although the span has undergone some alterations, it is a well-preserved and operational example of the swing-span trusses over the Hackensack River built by a prominent contractor in Bergen County. 02000I1 spanning the Passaic River in Rutherford Borough is also a well-preserved example of an operational swing-span through truss in the county.

Sources

Bibliography: Bergen County Engineers Office. (Plans). Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. Folio 408.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: Yes