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The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
By Louis M. Iatarola
August 14, 2004 will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of
the opening of a structure that symbolizes Tacony's storied
technological past and forever linked the community with the
development of neighboring communities to the west. In the
shadows of the fast-growing Dodge Steel foundry, the sleek
steel, granite and concrete structure known as the Tacony-Palmyra
Bridge quickly rose across the Delaware River between February,
1928 and August, 1929. Viewed at the time as simply a more
convenient means of access from Philadelphia to Burlington
County, the construction of this bridge not only accomplished
this but virtually opened the door for the development of
Northeast Philadelphia.
By 1920, Tacony was a thriving population
center which had been put "on the map" by founding
fathers like William Gatzmer and Henry Disston, and more recently
by local residents like builder Peter Costello and inventor
Frank Shuman. Tacony was recognized as a hotbed of industrial
might whose geographically central location between Center
City and the County line was selected in 1919 as the site
of a ferry service to provide easier transportation for motorists
and travelers going to New Jersey. On May 6, 1922, the Tacony-Palmyra
Ferry Company opened at 4:00 p.m., following substantial newspaper
advertising touting, "no congestion or traffic jams...At
last! Philly and the seashore united!" Two (2) ferries,
known as the "Tacony" and the "Palmyra"
operated from 6:00 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week,
sailing the 4800 foot distance every fifteen minutes. The
boat known as "Tacony" had been purchased from the
Gloucester Ferry Company and was previously known as "Fearless,"
while the "Palmyra" was purchased from the Reading
Railroad Company. It is interesting to note that the original
choice for the New Jersey side of the ferry was Riverton;
however, outcries from local residents against the proposed
service resulted in its location at the foot of Cinnaminson
Avenue in Palmyra.
 The
cost to travel on the ferry was 5¢ for individuals and
45¢ for automobiles or trucks. Not only did the ferries
serve the transportation needs of residents, but New Jersey
farm owners benefited from an efficient mode by which to transport
their produce. The "Palmyra" could carry eighteen
cars and several hundred passengers, while the "Tacony"
was a double decker vessel that could accommodated thirty-six
cars and approximately five hundred passengers. An 1,100 foot
long driveway at the foot of Levick Street helped motorists
across the ferry, which was within reasonable distance of
the Tacony and Wissinoming train stations, the Torresdale
Avenue Route 58 Trolley Line and State Road's Holmesburg,
Tacony, and Frankford ("Hop, Toad, & Frog")
Trolley Line.
In 1925, the ferries carried 410,567
vehicles, 115,890 foot passengers, and 526,462 bus passengers.
Their success prompted the City of Philadelphia to pave Frankford
Avenue north of Longshore Avenue to Cottman Avenue, and to
pave Cottman Avenue in order to serve increasing volumes of
east/west traffic. It had become obvious that there was a
need for more efficient travel between the states, and the
New Jersey Act of 1925 provided for the construction of additional
bridges over the Delaware. This occurred on the heels of construction
of the Delaware River Bridge (now known as the Benjamin Franklin
Bridge) between 1924 and 1926. The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge Company
was formed in June, 1926 by Riverton businessman Charles A.
Wright and Edward G. Borer, who owned the land on which the
bridge would be built.
The engineering firm of Modjeski, Masters,
and Chase were chosen to study and design plans for the Tacony-Palmyra
Bridge. A Congressional act approved its construction on January
25, 1927, with final approvals secured by the War Department
on the last day of the same year. State and municipal approvals
swiftly followed and on February 14, 1928, construction commenced
on the bridge, whose projected cost to construct was estimated
at 4.7 million dollars.
 Ralph
Modjeski designed a brilliant work of modern-day engineering,
both functional and elegant, whose semi-circular central steel
arch lent balance to the somewhat incongruous slope of the
cartway. Comprised of several different types of structures,
the bridge was made 3,659 feet long (5,162 feet including
approaches) and 38 feet wide, and accommodated four lanes
of traffic with side pedestrian walkways. The three main structures
of the bridge were the central arch in the center of the river,
the 260' bascule span (a drawbridge-like section operated
by counterweights to allow ships to pass through) and three
continuous spans, plus deck girder approach viaduct spans.
The vertical clearance under the center span at high tide
is 64 feet. More than 31,000 cubic yards of granite and concrete
were used in the substructure while the structural steel used
in the superstructure amounted to over 15 million pounds.
Approximately twenty (20) separate contractors
were used for different aspects of the bridge's construction,
which was overseen from the start to finish by Modjeski, Masters,
and Chase. Among the more significant contracts were the substructure
work performed performed by Dravo Contractive Company and
the superstructure work performed by the American Bridge Company.
The piers were set on March 27, 1928, and by August the job
had been completed some $600,000 under budget.
Although the model of efficiency from
a construction standpoint, the building of the Tacony-Palmyra
Bridge was not without its share of controversy. The leakage
of early design plans, including a $20 million proposal to
build it so high the Bridge would clear all marine traffic,
resulted in several firings as well as dismissal of the secretary-treasurer
of the Burlington County Bridge Commission. There were also
rumblings about the connection of W.G. Borer to the Tacony-Palmyra
Bridge Company, since he purchased the land under the Bridge
on September 16, 1926 and sold it to the Bridge Company on
February 22, 1927.
 A
date was set for August 14, 1929 to hold a grand dedication
ceremony, which would be followed by the first procession
of motorists to use the Bridge. Tolls were suspended on that
day, so all motorists crossed the Bridge free of charge. The
following day, a 35¢ one-way toll would be initiated.
The Tacony-Palmyra Ferry Company ceased operations the day
the Bridge opened. Out of the Ferry Company's forty-two employees,
thirty were hired to work at the Bridge while the remaining
twelve found work at the Chester-Bridgeport Ferry Company.
The significance of the Bridge's opening
was certainly not lost on those who took part in the dedication
ceremony on August 14, 1929. Throngs of onlookers flocked
to both sides of the Bridge, where a speaker's stand adorned
in patriotic decorations was located along the upstream side
of the Arch Span. A series of amplifiers was hooked to the
smooth steel girders of the superstructure above, and a canopy
covered the dignitaries' staging area. A sudden and severe
summer thunderstorm blew in just prior to the 3:00 p.m. commencement
of the ceremony, and strong winds nearly blew the canopy off
the staging area.
Without a doubt, the importance of this
symbolic and momentous event eclipsed even the forces of nature.
Despite the downpour, the crowd grew and grew as 3:00 drew
near. All scheduled speakers gave their speeches, and hundreds
of automobiles festooned with colorful bunting and flag decorations
paraded across the newly constructed Bridge. New Jersey Governor
Morgan Larson and Lieutenant Governor James of Pennsylvania
arrived in their official vehicles. On the waters below, the
whistles of the city boat "John Wanamaker" signified
the arrival of Philadelphia Mayor Harry Mackey and various
dignitaries of New Jersey towns. The ferry "Palmyra"
welcomed the new Bridge with three blasts and the ceremony
to open the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge had officially commenced.
Addresses were delivered by Governor
Morgan, Lieutenant Governor James, Mayor Mackey of Philadelphia,
Mayor George Wimer of Palmyra, Chief Engineer Ralph Modjeski,
and Charles A. Wright. A thin ribbon was ceremonially cut
by Modjeski, who several years earlier had also designed today's
Benjamin Franklin Bridge. All automobiles on the Bridge blew
their horns in a lengthy crescendo, and onlookers chimed in
with various celebrator noise-makers. Songs were played with
patriotic fervor by the Frankford American Legion Post Band
as two lines of traffic were led toward shores of the Delaware
River. With that, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge had officially
opened, and Northeast Philadelphia would never be the same.
Some notable remarks at the ceremony
opening the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge include:
"We have come here today to further
transportation between two great states...Thus there will
be a greater development of the two states so joined, I predict."
-- New Jersey Governor Larson
"I believe the future will see this
bridge as one of the most important stages of the present
day. It is through better communication that we get in touch
with our neighbors and to prosper by the interchange of our
products." -- Lieutenant Governor James of Pennsylvania
"This new bridge is one that fits
into the coordinated plan of development of the great territory
in this section on both sides of the river." -- Mayor
Mackey of Philadelphia
"This is a bridge which with proper
maintenance we hope will last 100 years." -- Chief Engineer
Ralph Modjeski
When the Bridge opened for toll business
at 12:30 a.m. on August 15, 1929, the first motorist from
the Philadelphia side was Edward M. Heenan of Robbins Avenue
in Tacony while E. C. Cook of Kirkwood, New Jersey was the
first motorist to cross the Palmyra side. About 1 1/2 hours
later, the first accident occurred on the Bridge when a car
driven by Herbert Sparks of Olney was struck in the rear by
John A. Kuhne, of Oxford Street in Philadelphia. Sparks' two
daughters were treated for minor injuries by Dr. Daniel Lofador
of Palmyra.
Within months of the Bridge's opening,
over eighteen million dollars in new construction projects
had begun, mostly on the Philadelphia side of the Bridge in
the way of single family row style homes. A decade or so later,
as plans were being conceived for the construction of Interstate
95, the Bridge was intentionally not connected to the Expressway
so as not to stifle the area's booming development that would
extend into the 1960's. To by-pass Tacony would have meant
a deprivation of not just business along State Road and Torresdale
Avenue but of population in its rapidly growing westerly sector
and adjacent neighborhoods to the west. More than 1.2 million
vehicles used the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge in its first year
of operation.
In 1948, the Bridge was sold to the Burlington
County Bridge Commission and the toll was reduced to 25¢
for a one-way fare. The timber decking on the Bascule Span
was soon replaced by metal grating. When the financing bonds
were paid off in 1955, the toll was reduced further to 5¢.
Hence, the Bridge earned the nickname "Nickel Bridge."
It didn't become the "Double Nickel Bridge" until
the toll was raised to 10¢ on July 1, 1975. Burlington
County experienced tremendous growth as a result of connections
from Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol Bridge, also acquired
in 1948, as evidenced by the County's population explosion
from 81,770 in 1920 to 97,000 in 1940 to 224,499 in 1960.
A major marine accident occurred on December
15, 1988 when a major bridge support was struck by a barge
owner by River Enterprises, Incorporated. Several pilings
were significantly damaged as well as protectant deflectors
under the Bridge. Although still structurally sound, metal
plates and tension bars were used to temporarily absorb the
stress created by the damage. In 1990, a section of the Arch
Span foundation was totally replaced to correct the problem.
Many additional improvements were made
to adapt the Bridge to 21st Century standards during the 1990's.
Worn sections of decking were replaced and heavy reinforcements
rods were added to the deck. Various replacements and horizontal
jacking of spans were performed, as well as replacement of
tread plates, cables, and street lights. Numerous deteriorated
steel rivets were also replaced. The removal of the southbound
toll booths and initiation of one-way toll collection on the
Palmyra side took place in 1992. At this time, the round-trip
toll became $1.00, having increased to 25¢ for a one-way
toll in 1982 and to 50¢ one-way in 1990. The Bridge was
reduced to three lanes in 1997, reconfigured with wider lanes
(two from New Jersey, one from Pennsylvania) and a buffer
zone for safety.
Without question, the durability and
efficiency of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge is directly attributable
to the effective management of the Burlington County Bridge
Commission, which has owned it for 55 years. For the past
51 years, the consulting engineering firm of Parsons Transportation
Group, formerly Steinman, Boynton, Gronquist, and Birdsall,
has supplied the Bridge Commission with various studies, annual
inspections, design and construction monitoring which have
helped keep the Bridge functional and stable. The improvements
and upgrades which have been made will help the Bridge last
75 years or more. The Bridge has remained in constant public
service since its opening, with the exception of one month
between December, 1988 and January, 1989, when a closure was
necessary due to the sudden impact of the previously described
marine accident.
 On
the Bridge's Palmyra side, its majestic presence has spurred
appropriate development which capitalized on scenic vistas
along the Delaware River. River Villas has been a fixture
on the River for decades, consisting of rental townhouses
and apartments. In the late 1990's a residential development
consisting of town homes and condominiums on the north side
of Palmyra's shore became one of the fastest-selling projects
in the history of its developer. In 2003, Palmyra Cove Nature
Park opened, which is a 350 acre nature/wildlife park, with
educational exhibits and viewing opportunities for varieties
of birds and mammals. On the Philadelphia side, momentum is
underway for a long-overdue shift from industrial uses to
a combination of primarily residential and recreational uses.
A rail-trail is being developed which will parallel the River,
and changes in zoning consistent with the Philadelphia Planning
Commission's long-term vision for new development include
a proposed river road and light rail system which also parallel
the River. Such improvements will finally lend aesthetic justice
to the views of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge from the Philadelphia
side.
The Bridge today is both an efficient
mechanism and technological marvel, equipped with both navigation
lights and obstruction lights to warn both marine and air
traffic of the structure. Each leaf of the opening Bascule
Span weighs an awesome 3.3 million pounds, and opens upon
request by any marine vessel requiring greater clearance than
the closed span provides. The Bridge opens its span approximately
1,000 times per year and handles over 26 million vehicles
annually. This is reportedly the heaviest traveled toll bridge,
per lane, in the world. The current $2.00 round trip toll
was instituted in March, 2000 and the "EZ-Pass"
electronic toll systems, in early 2002, allows motorists to
pay a monthly fee for electronically monitored tolls which
eliminate the need to stop in order to pay the toll.
For nearly three-quarters of a
century, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge has been Tacony's most
visible landmark, its industrial beauty and steely strength
stretched solemnly across the Delaware. Along with the development
of Roosevelt Boulevard and the Market-Frankford Elevated Railway,
the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge ushered in a new era in the social
strata of the City. Farms were transformed into neighborhoods,
and several generations were subsequently bred in primarily
row style homes on manicured lawns in idealistic post-war
splendor. The development of westerly portions of Tacony,
Wissinoming, and Holmesburg, as well as Mayfair, Castor Gardens,
and Oxford Circle, helped keep these generations geographically
closer to one another. This strengthened the fabric of the
Northeast section of the City, which adopted the characteristic
of the remainder of the City as a "town of neighborhoods."
So when you gaze at the central arched span of Tacony's 75
year old gem, if you look beyond the structure which bridges
two states, you can't help but notice the bridge between generations.
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