Past and Present - Ben Franklin Bridge

Past and Present of the Ben Franklin Bridge

Gabriella Cruz

If you’ve ever watched Rocky or visited Philadelphia, you probably caught a glimpse of one of the nation’s greatest bridges - the Ben Franklin Bridge. Originally named the Delaware River Bridge, its construction connected Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. Plans for construction of the bridge began during the early 1800s to help increase ferries across the Delaware River. Though several proposals were made, none were pursued until the Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission was created in 1919 to find a permanent solution. Paul Philippe Cret, acclaimed architect largely responsible for Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, designed the bridge and acted as the supervising architect. Construction of the bridge was also channeled by Ralph Modjeski as chief engineer, Leon Moisseiff as design engineer, and Montgomery Case as construction engineer. Construction work began on January 6, 1922 and took 4.5 years to build. It was originally painted by the same commercial painting company that painted the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Traffic opened on July 1, 1926, three days before the nation’s 150 th anniversary. At the time, bridge tolls were $0.25 for a car, $0.15 for a horse and rider, and $0.30 for a horse -drawn carriage. It had six vehicle lanes, two streetcar tracks on the main deck, and rapid transit tracks. The name was changed to Ben Franklin Bridge in 1955. Upon the 1936 commencement of the Bridge Line subway connecting Camden with Philadelphia, the outer pair of transit tracks went into service. The Bridge Line extended and began carrying PATCO trains in 1969. Today, the bridge transports PATCO Speedline and connects highways I -676 and US 30. It now has seven vehicle lanes that are divided by a concrete “zipper” barrier, which can be moved to reshape lanes. On overhead gantries, signal lights are mounted to indicate open and closed lanes due to construction, accidents, or traffic separation. Decorative lights are also used to celebrate holidays and big events. Thousands of vehicles, subway -riders, bikers, and walkers pass over the bridge every day and it remains a beautiful marker and connection of both cities.

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Pedestrians walking across the Ben Franklin Bridge upon opening in 1926 . Pedestrians and vehicles heading toward the Ben Franklin Bridge upon opening in 1926. Franklin Bridge -

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View of the Ben Franklin Bridge near the docks in Philadelphia looking across to Camden. Taken before completion of construction in 1925.

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Tugboat ‘John Wanamaker’ on the Delaware River under Ben Franklin Bridge in 1928. United Fruit Liner ‘Iriona’ on the Delaware River under Ben Franklin Bridge in 1935.

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Ariel view of Center City, Philadelphia taken in 1930. Delaware River and Ben Franklin Bridge seen in distance. Camden, New Jersey on other side of river.

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Map of Ben Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia and Camden.