Goethals Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing Celebrate 90 Years Serving Travelers

On Jun 29, 2018

The Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing – the first bridges built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – mark their 90th year of serving the region’s millions of travelers.

The bridges, originally built to accommodate greatly increased interstate automobile traffic after World War I, both opened on the same day, June 29, 1928. Together, they are critical components of the Port Authority’s transportation network, handling more than 30 million vehicles combined each year.

Last month, the Port Authority completed a $1.5 billion project to build a new Goethals Bridge, the first new bridge built by the agency since 1931. Today, the bridge, which links Elizabeth and Staten Island, has three 12-foot lanes in each direction and expanded shoulders on each side to accommodate emergencies that may occur. The old bridge structure consisted of two 10-foot lanes and no shoulder.

The original Outerbridge Crossing structure still remains and is the outermost crossing in the Port District. Connecting Perth Amboy with Staten Island, it bears the name of Eugenius H. Outerbridge, the Port Authority’s first chairman and one of the signers of the compact between New York and New Jersey that created the Port Authority.

Prior to the bridges’ unveiling, ferries served as the primary link for those crossing the Arthur Kill from New Jersey into Staten Island.

“It is an honor for all of us who work here at the Staten Island Bridges to operate and maintain these remarkable facilities,” said Staten Island Bridges General Manager Olga Krueger. “We are all committed to ensuring the bridges’ continued vitality and critical service to the region.”

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