Benjamin Franklin Bridge

Benjamin Franklin Bridge. . , Although efforts to build a bridge connecting Camden with Philadelphia began in 1818, it wasn't until 1926 that a bridge was completed. Ferries provided transportation across the Delaware River as early as the 1680's and contributed to the growth and development of Camden. In the early twentieth century, the increasing number of ferries on the river and the rise of automobile use created the need for a better crossing., Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey set up separate commissions to investigate the construction of a new bridge, combining in 1919 to form the Delaware River Bridge Commission. Renowned bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski was selected as chief engineer and legendary architect Paul Philippe Cret was appointed as architect. The result was the world's longest suspension bridge with a main span of 1,750 feet., Work on the bridge began on January 6, 1922. The foundations for the main towers were constructed using caissons that were sunk to the bottom of the river. Men working inside chambers of the caissons removed material by hand to reach bedrock. The main towers were started in 1923 and completed in 1924. Next, the main cables were constructed using a process known as cable-spinning. 25,000 miles of steel wire were pulled in a loop from end to end, bound tightly together, grouped into strands and compacted together to form the finished cables. The main cables were completed in 1925, and the bridge opened on July 1, 1926, three days ahead of its scheduled opening on the nation's sesquicentennial. The bridge was originally known as the Delaware River Bridge when it was opened and later renamed to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in 1956., Opening Ceremonies , On July 1, 1925, more than 25,000 people attend the official opening ceremony of the Delaware River Bridge, with Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot and New Jersey Governor A. Harry Moore presiding. After the ceremony, an estimated 100,000 people walk across the bridge before it opens to vehicular traffic. On July 5, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge (pictured above) arrives to dedicate the bridge.