Pulaski Skyway

Pulaski Skyway

The General Pulaski Skyway is a four-lane bridge-causeway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, carrying a freeway designated U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) for most of its length. The landmark structure has a total length of 3.502 mi (5.636 km); its longest bridge spans 550 ft (167.6 m). Travelling between Newark and Jersey City, the roadway crosses the Passaic and Hackensack rivers and Kearny Point, the peninsula between them.

Designed by Sigvald Johannesson, the Pulaski Skyway opened in 1932 as the last part of the Route 1 Extension, one of the first superhighways in the United States, to provide a connection to the Holland Tunnel. One of several major projects built during the reign of Hudson County political boss Frank Hague, its construction was a source of political and labor disputes. The bridges have been listed on the federal and state registers of historic places since 2005.

Unpredictable traffic makes the Skyway one of the most unreliable roads in the United States. As of 2010, the bridge handles about 67,000 crossings per day, none by trucks, which have been barred from the road since 1934. The bridges have been little altered; they have not been significantly repaired since 1984. In 2007, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) began a rehabilitation program which it estimates will cost about $1 billion.