Upper Hack Lift
| Company type | Lift bridge |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad transportation infrastructure |
| Predecessor | Swing span bridge (1901) |
| Founded | March 1959 |
| Headquarters | Secaucus and Lyndhurst , United States |
Area served | Hackensack River crossing, New Jersey Transit Main Line |
| Owner | New Jersey Transit |
Upper Hack Lift is a lift bridge that facilitates the passage of the New Jersey Transit Main Line over the Hackensack River at mile marker 6.9, situated between Secaucus, New Jersey and Lyndhurst.
History
Built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and finalized in March 1959 after construction began in 1958, this bridge replaced a damaged swing span dating back to 1901 on the Boonton Branch. The project involved a single-track lift bridge with a total expense of $5.5 million, financed through a bank loan spanning five years.
Following a route adjustment in 1963, the structure began accommodating service for the Erie Main Line, subsequently serving Erie Lackawanna, NJDOT, and eventually NJ Transit commuter trains. In 1994, the bridge received a fresh coat of turquoise blue paint.
As New Jersey’s sole single-track lift bridge—aside from the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge connecting to Staten Island—the Upper Hack Lift is prominently visible from the western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike between Interchanges 15W and 16W.
Concrete abutments and piers north of the current lift bridge mark the location of the original swing span remnants.
The drawbridge functions on signal activation unless the bridge operator is stationed at the nearby HX Draw on the Bergen County Line.
External links
- Vertical lift bridges in New Jersey
- Railroad bridges in New Jersey
- Bridges completed in 1959
- Bridges over the Hackensack River
- Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad bridges
- NJ Transit bridges
- Secaucus, New Jersey
- Lyndhurst, New Jersey
- Bridges in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Bridges in Bergen County, New Jersey
- 1959 establishments in New Jersey