Jan 15, 2021
One of the three orthotropic deck sections for the new Wittpenn Bridge s vertical lift span is lifted into place.
NJDOT
A new vertical-lift bridge across the Hackensack River represents the first use of a lightweight steel “orthotropic” bridge deck for the state of New Jersey.
The orthotropic deck will serve as the vertical-lift span for the new Wittpenn Bridge between Jersey City and Kearny. The three-deck, 350-foot span was fabricated and assembled by Vigor LLC in 2017 in Oregon and then shipped over a month in five pieces through the Panama Canal to New Jersey.
The three deck sections rested upon barges in the river since their arrival in 2017. Three years later after project delays, they were finally installed in late September 2020. Each of the three decks was lifted a day at a time into place, according to Steve Shapiro,