Point-No-Point Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge in United States of America}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Point-No-Point Bridge

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| image = File:2021-09-19 10 55 06 View southeast down the Passaic River towards the Point-No-Point Bridge and Pulaski Skyway from the Chaplain Washington Bridge for Interstate 95 (New Jersey Turnpike Eastern Spur) along the border of Newark and Kearny in New Jersey.jpg

| image_size = 300px

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| caption = The Point-No-Point Bridge (foreground) and Pulaski Skyway (background)

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| carries = Passaic and Harsimus Line

| crosses = Passaic River

| locale = Newark and Kearny
New Jersey

| owner = Conrail

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| design = Swing bridge

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| below = {{convert|21|ft}}

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| complete = 1901

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| coordinates = {{coord|40.74148|-74.12136|format=dms|type:landmark|display=title,inline}}

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Point-No-Point Bridge is a railroad bridge crossing the Passaic River between Newark and Kearny, New Jersey, United States, in the New Jersey Meadowlands. The swing bridge is the fourth from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is {{convert|2.6|mi}} upstream from it.{{cite web

| title = Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis (2nd Revision)

| publisher = United States Army Corps of Engineers

| date = July 2, 2010

| url = http://passaic.sharepointspace.com/Public%20Documents/2010-07-29%20USACE%20Lower%20Passaic%20River%20Commercial%20Navigation%20Analysis.pdf

| access-date = 2012-08-05

| archive-date = 2015-03-19

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150319155357/http://passaic.sharepointspace.com/Public%20Documents/2010-07-29%20USACE%20Lower%20Passaic%20River%20Commercial%20Navigation%20Analysis.pdf

| url-status = dead

}} A camelback through truss bridge, it is owned by Conrail as part of its North Jersey Shared Assets and carries the Passaic and Harsimus Line used by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.{{Cite web |last=Fallon |first=Scott |date=12 November 2015 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/oil-train-bridges-targeted-in-study-group-says-span-over-passaic-river-decaying-1.1454004 |title=Oil train bridges targeted in study; group says span over Passaic River decaying |website=NorthJersey.com |access-date=2016-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024153124/http://www.northjersey.com/news/oil-train-bridges-targeted-in-study-group-says-span-over-passaic-river-decaying-1.1454004 |archive-date=2016-10-24 |url-status=dead }} River Subdivision (CSX Transportation) accesses the line via Marion Junction. Conrail is replacing the bridge, which was opened in 1901.{{cite web|url=https://jerseydigs.com/point-no-point-railroad-bridge-between-newark-kearny-could-be-replaced/|title=Point-No-Point Railroad Bridge from 1901 Could Be Replaced|first=Jared|last=Kofsky|date=2 October 2018|website=Jersey Digs}} Work began in November 2022.{{cite web |last=Vantuono |first=William C. |date=4 November 2022 |url=https://www.rtands.com/freight/politicians-get-to-the-point-no-point-conrail/ |title=Politicians Get to the Point-No-Point: Conrail |website=Railway Track and Structures}}{{cite web |last=Kingston |first=John |date=27 December 2022 |url=https://www.freightwaves.com/news/120-plus-year-old-new-jersey-freight-rail-bridge-replacement-finally-rising |title=120-plus-year-old New Jersey freight rail bridge replacement finally rising |website=FreightWaves}}

A crossing of the Passaic at Point-No-Point was originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in the early 1890s{{cite news | title = Two Small roads being Built in New-Jersey Important Extensions of the Pennsylvania Railroad to Relieve Overtaxed Jersey City Terminals | newspaper = The New York Times | date = July 1, 1891 | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1891/07/01/103317533.pdf | access-date = 2012-08-08 }} to bypass its mainline and thus shorten the distance to its rail yard at Harsimus Cove.{{cite news | title = Work on the Pennsylvania Cut-off | newspaper = The New York Times | date = May 12, 1900 | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1900/05/12/106886130.pdf | access-date = 2012-08-07 }} At the time the railroad crossed the Passaic at the Centre Street Bridge (no longer in existence) near its Newark station, at the site of today's New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The new Pennsylvania Cut-off diverged from the line (now today's Northeast Corridor) at Waverly Yard, crossed the Newark Ironbound and the Passaic to the Kearny Meadows and then crossed the Hackensack River on the Harsimus Branch Lift Bridge. It rejoined the main line at the Bergen Hill Cut, but diverged again using the Harsimus Stem Embankment to reach its freight yards on the Hudson River waterfront north of its passenger terminal at Exchange Place. The PRR also used the Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge to reach its car float operations at Greenville Yard on the Upper New York Bay.

The Point-No-Point Bridge's creosote-covered piers caught fire in 2000.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/15/nyregion/bridge-on-passaic-river-burns-filling-sky-with-thick-smoke.html|title=Bridge on Passaic River Burns, Filling Sky With Thick Smoke|first=Robert|last=Hanley|date=15 July 2000|work=The New York Times}}

The lower {{convert|17|mi}} of the {{Convert|90|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} Passaic River below the Dundee Dam is tidally influenced and navigable commercial maritime traffic upstream of the Point-No-Point Bridge is constricted by the width between its piers when the moveable span is open. Rules regulating the drawbridge operations determined by the US Coast Guard require 4 hours' notice for it to be swung open.{{cite web | title = 33 CFR 117.739 - Passaic River. | work = Code of Federal Regulations | publisher = Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security | date = July 1, 2010 | url = http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/117-passaic-river-19757052 | access-date = 2012-08-07 | quote = The draw of CONRAIL's Point-No-Point Railroad Bridge, mile 2.6, at Newark, shall open on signal if at least four hours' notice is given to the CONRAIL Movement Desk. After the signal to open is given, the opening may be delayed no more than ten minutes | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205238/http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/117-passaic-river-19757052 | archive-date = August 12, 2014 }}

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