Bayonne Bridge — ON FOOT, ON WHEELS

WHERE: The Bayonne Bridge, from Staten Island, New York to Bayonne, New Jersey.

START: Innis Street and St. Joseph Avenue, via S46 bus from St. George Ferry Terminal.

FINISH: 8 Street station, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (fully accessible)

DISTANCE: 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers)

Photographs by Michael Cairl. Map courtesy footpathapp.com.

*Bike racks and tire pump at the Staten Island end of the bridge.*

I picked a very pleasant day for this walk, with low humidity, a refreshing breeze, and high temperature of 26C (79F). The Bayonne Bridge, which opened in 1931, was the longest steel arch span in the world at the time of its construction and remained so for many years. It spans the narrow Kill van Kull that links Newark Bay and the huge container terminals at Port Elizabeth and Port Newark to New York Harbor. With the addition of a new, larger set of locks at the Panama Canal, “post-Panamax” container ships, those larger than could be accommodated by the original Panama Canal locks, could reach the Port of New York and New Jersey but for insufficient vertical clearance at the Bayonne Bridge. In recent years the roadway was raised some 50 feet (16 meters) to allow greater vertical clearance, the work being completed in 2019. The original steel arch was left intact but the roadway, being suspended from the arch on cables, was raised up. A new, much wider bike and foot path was built on the east side of the bridge, replacing the old path on the west side. For a nice, succinct history of this bridge go to https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/en/bayonne-bridge/history.html.

I had biked across the bridge twice in the early 1990s, both times from Bayonne to Staten Island. This was my first time crossing on foot and going in the opposite direction. I don’t recall ever driving over the bridge.

The start of this walk was in the modest Elm Park neighborhood on Staten Island’s north shore, a microcosm of a much more diverse place than Staten Island is often thought to be. With the roadway being raised the ascent was steep but not too tiring. Along the way were interpretive posters about the waterway, the economy of the area, the construction of the bridge, and the ecology of the area. Not being in a hurry, I took time to read each of them. Three examples are in the following images.

The bridge itself is impressive and the views from the bridge were remarkable.

*From mid-span on the bridge: Bayonne at left, Staten Island at right, the towers of Manhattan and Brooklyn in the distance.*

*Beyond the bridge, the Port Newark container terminal.*

The end point was a short walk from the north end of the Bayonne Bridge, the southernmost point on New Jersey Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, the 8 Street station. This was once a terminus for passenger trains on the Central Railroad of New Jersey. A handsome station building recalls the old, long since demolished Jersey Central station. I took the light rail to Exchange Place in Jersey City where I transferred to the PATH train to the World Trade Center, then to the subway for the trip home.

*8 Street station, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.*

This was a fine walk, a long time in the works. I’m glad I picked a picture-perfect day for it. It was good to get farther than usual from the tourist trail, to see an engineering marvel adapted to changing times and made inviting for bicyclists and pedestrians. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did a nice job with this. You can see the detailed route of this walk at https://footpathapp.com/routes/8c1fab62-fa12-4d1e-9495-5aa544ab0ccc.