Raritan Bay Drawbridge

Not to be confused with Raritan River Bridge.

The Raritan Bay Drawbridge, also known as River-Draw, Raritan Bay Swing Bridge, and Raritan River Railroad Bridge, is a railroad swing bridge crossing the Raritan River 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from where it empties into the Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It crosses the city line of Perth Amboy to the north and South Amboy to the south.^[3]

Raritan Bay Drawbridge
In the open position in early summer 2011
Coordinates	40.496°N 74.281°W / 40.496; -74.281
Carries	New York and Long Branch (to 1976) Conrail North Jersey Coast Line
Crosses	Raritan River
Locale	Perth Amboy and South Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Other name(s)	River Draw
Owner	New Jersey Transit
ID number	NJT 400
Characteristics
Design	Swing bridge
Longest span	331 feet (101 m)[1]
No. of spans	30[1]
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	2
Electrified	12 kV 25 Hz
History
Constructed by	Pennsylvania Steel Company McCullen and McDermott[2]
Construction end	1908[1]
Location

History

Aerial view of bridges where the Raritan River enters Raritan Bay; the rail bridge is the rightmost one

The bridge was built in 1908 to replace one that had been built at the crossing in 1875 to serve the New York and Long Branch Railroad, jointly operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR).^[1] Near the end of its construction, the bridge was sabotaged by a dynamite blast.^[2] A few years after completion, the bridge was damaged in a severe winter storm.^[4] The bridge has been owned by several different parties since the CNJ/PRR era: Penn Central (1968–1971), the New Jersey Department of Transportation (to 1983), and New Jersey Transit (NJT).

Operations

The bridge is used by NJT commuter rail on its North Jersey Coast Line and for Conrail-Norfolk Southern rail freight operations. Federal regulations require the bridge to be open on signal except during rush hour or when a train has passed the home signal for it.^[3]

Replacement

Portion of the new bridge under construction, as seen in January 2025 from a train on the existing bridge

The bridge was scheduled to be replaced after suffering structural damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.^[5] The bridge was overwashed by the storm surge, struck by two tugboats, and had to be realigned before low-speed service could resume a month later. A $446 million federal grant, announced in 2014, will fund construction of a new bridge while trains continue using the existing bridge.^[6][7]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the approaches to the new was held September 15, 2020, with completion projected for 2026.^[8]

An additional groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 24, 2025 for the center lift span of the new bridge.^[9]

See also

• List of crossings of the Raritan River
• NJT movable bridges