Washington Crossing Bridge

The Washington Crossing Bridge is an historic through truss bridge over the Delaware River between Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing, New Jersey. The bridge crosses the Delaware River less than 1/2 mile downstream from where George Washington and his army are believed to have crossed the Delaware during the Revolutionary War. The Washington Crossing Bridge is also one of only two major bridges in the United States where the bridge crosses between two towns of the same name in different states.

The Washington Crossing Bridge is noted for its unique truss design. At first glance, the bridge appears to be either be a Baltimore Truss bridge or a K-Truss bridge. However, at a closer look, the bridge is actually a double-intersection Warren truss bridge, one of the most rare truss types still in existence today. Many double-intersection Warren truss bridges have been replaced because this design is fracture critical, meaning that the failure of one member can lead to the collapse of the entire bridge. It is outstanding to see that the Washington Crossing Bridge has been maintained well enough that it has remained in service for over a century and still continues to be in service today.

The bridge is currently posted at a maximum weight limit of 3 tons and a maximum height limit of 11 feet 4 inches. Therefore, large trucks and other commercial traffic cannot cross the bridge and must use either the Scudder Falls Bridge downstream or the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge upstream.

The official name of the bridge as designated on the plaque is the Washington Crossing Toll Supported Bridge. However, tolls have not been present on the bridge since the mid 1920's. The location where the toll booth once stood can still be made out on the New Jersey side by studying the unusual configuration of bridge approach roads.