Spanning Water and Time: The Delaware River Bridges from the Estuary to the Water Gap

A Virtual Lecture by Joe Donnelly,
Deputy Executive Director of Communications, DRJTBC

A Delaware River Heritage Lecture Sponsored by the Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP)

Free Preregistration Required.

Bridges have spanned the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania for more than 200 years. The fresh-water section of the river between the two states is particularly interesting, with some of the bridge crossings playing an important role in the nation’s transportation legacy. The history of the Delaware River’s NJ-PA freshwater bridges include early wooden structures, floods, fires, private stock-issuing companies, railroad barons, a trolley line, a free-bridges movement, and a new dual-span bridge with an attached shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. Joe Donnelly, deputy executive director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, will talk about the area’s Delaware River bridges – from the Delaware Water Gap to Trenton – with slides of historic photographs, news items, documents, and maps. 90 minutes

Joe Donnelly became the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s deputy executive director of communications in February 2008 after handling communications in the New Jersey General Assembly and working as a reporter for The Record of Bergen County, NJ. A Lambertville resident, he has endeavored to research and chronicle the various river crossings owned or operated by the Commission. The research spans the development of privately owned covered-wooden toll bridges in the 19^th century, the advent of a free bridges movement in the early 20^th century, and the evolution of the Bridge Commission after rising volumes of combustion-engine-powered vehicles forced construction of larger highway bridges in the 1930s and 1950s.  Mr. Donnelly gives periodic presentations on the Commission’s river crossings to community groups, libraries, and historical organizations up and down the river.

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This talk, one in a series, open to the public and free of charge, is sponsored by the Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP) about different aspects of the cultural, recreational, and natural heritage of the Delaware River. An environmental nonprofit, DRGP supports the Delaware River Scenic Byway, the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic River, the Delaware River Water Trail, and the Delaware River Heritage Trail.

Registration Link: https://outdoors.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PZF-8tqeQNukEriVcboV0Q
After registering, meeting link information will appear below the lecture description. Registrants will also be emailed a confirmation and lecture reminders.