The Lower Passaic River in New Jersey is the section of the Passaic River below the Great Falls which flows over the Dundee Dam to the river mouth at Newark Bay in the northeastern part of the state. Its midpoint generally delineates the Essex-Hudson and Passaic-Bergen county lines. Numerous spans, mostly moveable bridges, have been built over of the lower reaches of the river, which is tidally influenced to the dam at about mile point (MP) 17.4 and channelized to about MP 17. Once one of the most heavily used waterways in the Port of New York and New Jersey, it remains partially navigable for commercial marine traffic. While requests have significantly diminished since the mid-late 20th century, the bridge at MP 11.7 and those downstream from it are required by federal regulations to open with advance notice, with the exception of the first at MP 1.8, which is staffed and opens on demand.
Early fixed crossings included turnpikes, sometimes built as plank roads. Wood, and later, metal bridges were constructed by competing railroads to access railyards, carfloat operations, passenger terminals, and ferries on the Hudson Waterfront. Rail lines led to further industrialization, urbanization-suburbanization, and the construction of vehicular bridges and streetcar lines. The advent of automobile age in the early and mid 20th century saw the building of highway bridges.
The Acquackanonk Bridge was dismantled in 1776 as George Washington retreated from Fort Lee. Another with the same name at the crossing was lost to flooding in 1903. The first railroad swing bridge in the United States was built in 1833. Numerous bridges have been demolished or fallen into disuse, while others have had their swing spans removed, replaced or immobilized. Some have been rebuilt or replaced.
^"Portway-Passaic River Crossing"(PDF). FY 2010-2011 Studies and Development. NJDOT. Retrieved August 8, 2012. This project will study Doremus Avenue, Passaic River Crossing and Central Avenue over Route 1&9T as one project because of their connectivity. The areas of the project service industrial and commercial facilities in a section of Newark and the southern section of Kearny. The purpose of the proposed improvement is to create a connection with NJ Turnpike at Interchange 15E and Route 1&9T, and/or another variation of the two. The improved section will serve to improve access to/from trucking distribution facilities along Doremus Avenue and the NJ Turnpike and will help reduce truck traffic on Route 1&9T. It will range from replacing the existing Route 1&9T bridge to providing dual bridge structures. The reconfiguration of Central Avenue/Route 1&9T interchange may provide four 12-foot travel lanes and two 12-foot shoulders to improve flow and safety. The proposed geometry will primarily follow the existing alignment except at the interchange. Sidewalks could be provided within the proposed berm. A rail crossing on the same facility will also be investigated as part of this project.
^"Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis 2nd revision"(PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012. The abutments of a formerly utilized railroad freight bridge (Central Railroad of NJ) lie at approximately RM 1.2. These abutments limit channel width to 145 feet. However, NJDOT is currently investigating the feasibility of a new Lower Passaic River Bridge within the existing alignment of the former railroad freight bridge. If construction of the new bridge was to move forward, the derelict structure at RM 1.2 would be removed and would be replaced with a structure designed with adequate horizontal and vertical clearance for typical vessel traffic on the Lower Passaic River
"33 CFR 117.739 - Passaic River". Code of Federal Regulations. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2012. updated to July 1, 2010
"Section 117.739 - Passaic River"(PDF). Code of Federal Regulations Title 33 - Navigation and Navigable Waters Volume: 1. Government Publishing Office. July 1, 2002. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
"Passaic River, New Jersey"(PDF). Report of Channel Conditions 100 to 400 Feet Wide (ER 1130-2-306). US Army Corps of Engineers. September 14, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
DeLeuw, Cather and Company Engineering Science, Inc. (prepared for NJ Transit and NJDPA) (1991). Historic Railroad Bridge Survey (Report).{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)