The Bayonne Bridge: Ingenuity in Civil Engineering

Original Bayonne Bridge (1931) - Source: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The article “Rising Above” in the November 2018 issue of the magazine by The American Society of Civil Engineers features historical and modern information on the Bayonne Bridge, which originally opened in 1931. Stretching across Staten Island, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey, the bridge was once the largest steel arch bridge in the world with a span of 1,675 feet, and its significance led to its designation as an ASCE historic civil engineering landmark in 1985.

The Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project was tasked with expanding the bridge’s height to accommodate newer, taller ships. According to the article, the notable undertaking started with a feasibility study “that addressed and documented 41 options that were evaluated for technical feasibility, constructability, environmental impact, schedule, and cost.” A tunnel was initially considered as a different option, but the Port Authority decided not to demolish the landmark and update it as it stands instead.

​Design began in 2011, when civil engineers began working to rehabilitate and strengthen the arch, planning for new roadways, and thinking of ways to stage construction that still allowed commuters to continue using the bridge during the project. The roadway project was completed in February of 2017 and it received the American Council of Engineering Companies 2018 Grand Conceptor Award in April of 2018 for the project’s economic benefit, scale, and complexity. Workers are still putting up the final touches on the bridge, with completion projected for mid-2019.
More details and pictures of this impressive project, as well as the complete article, are available here at the ACSE website.