WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE

The 'Walt Whitman Bridge' is a suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Gloucester City, New Jersey. Named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided in nearby Camden toward the end of his life, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of the larger bridges on the east coast of the United States. The bridge is owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority.
Construction on the bridge began in 1953, and it opened to traffic on May 16, 1957. The bridge has a total length of 11,981 feet (3,651 meters), and a main span of 2,000 feet (610 meters). The bridge has seven lanes, three in each direction and a center lane that is shifted variably (via a zipper barrier) to accommodate heavy traffic.
The bridge is a part of Interstate 76 (which, between the river and the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is known as the "Schuylkill Expressway"). Along with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, Delaware Memorial Bridge, and Commodore Barry Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of five expressway-standard bridges connecting the Philadelphia area with southern New Jersey.

Contents

Tolls

Popular Culture

See also

References

External links

Tolls

A $3.00 one-way toll is charged entering Pennsylvania for passenger vehicles (less than 7,000 lbs gross vehicle weight). An $18 credit will be given on a per tag basis for any DRPA-issued E-ZPass tag that crosses one of the four DRPA bridges 18 times in a calendar month. Trucks, Commercial vehicles, mobile homes and recreation vehicles (weighing at least 7,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight), pay $4.50 cash per axle. Seniors aged 65 and over can use a ticket program to pay $1.00 per trip (not integrated with E-ZPass).^[1]

Popular Culture

Due to its national prominence as one of Philadelphia's largest bridges, and also because of its perceived architectural beauty, the Walt Whitman Bridge has been referenced frequently in popular culture, including:

★ The Philadelphia-based rock 'n' roll troubadours Marah include a song named "Walt Whitman Bridge" on their 2005 album "If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry", in which the heartbroken protagonist stands alone on the bridge, smoking a cigarette and allowing the memory of his lost love to blow away on the breeze.

★ Part of the music video for Southern Rock band 38 Special's song "Back Where you Belong" was filmed underneath the Walt Whitman Bridge, using police officers from neighboring Collingdale.

★ A scene in the movie ''The Italian Job'' also was filmed under the Walt Whitman Bridge.

See also

★ List of crossings of the Delaware River

References

1. DRPA Bridge Fares, accessed December 11, 2006

External links

★ Delaware River Port Authority site

★ Walt Whitman Bridge historic overview (phillyroads.com)

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