Walt Whitman Bridge

The Poet Walt Whitman Memorial Suspension Bridge, commonly known as the Walt Whitman Bridge or the Whitman Suspension Bridge is a steel cable suspension bridge over the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. The bridge is one of two crossings between Philadelphia and Camden, the other being the Benjamin Franklin Bridge upstream. Additionally, the Walt Whitman Bridge is the southernmost Delaware crossing in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The Walt Whitman Bridge carries the Pennsylvania Turnpike over the river, which is signed as Interstate 76 in this section. However, unlike the majority of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which has toll barriers both directions at intervals on the highway and at all interchanges, the Walt Whitman Bridge only has a toll barrier for westbound traffic entering Philadelphia. This is a pattern that is observed on the other two Delaware crossings in the metro area - the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Betsy Ross Bridge.

The Walt Whitman Bridge is one of many suspension bridges worldwide that has stiffening trusses below the bridge deck. In many cases, such trusses are supports for a second lower level to the bridge. However, in more cases than not, such trusses are just for stiffening and bracing and have not and will never carry a second deck of traffic. This is the case with the Walt Whitman Bridge. The trusses below the Golden Gate Bridge in California, however, may eventually carry a lower level as traffic increases. It is a common mistake to think that bridges like the Whitman are double-decked, when in actually they are not.

From 2015-2018, the bridge is undergoing a progressive multiple-stage rehabilitation project. This project started with the replacement of the stiffening trusses with new members identical to the original ones. The project then went on to rehabilitate the bridge deck, main cables, and suspended hangers. Finally, the bridge's two towers are in the process of being rehabilitated and should be completed by Spring 2018.