At the north end of the bay at Kearny Point, the mouths of both the Passaic and the Hackensack River meet at the tip of a peninsula once known as New Barbadoes Neck. In order to build the line, the CNJ built bridges across the rivers, with service beginning in 1869.[3] The original bridge was replaced in 1888. In 1912, the 212-foot (65 m) swing span was relocated 185 feet (56 m) upstream to create another bridge on a new alignment.[1] The entire line across the rivers and Kearny Point was raised about 30 feet (9.1 m) to avoid conflicts with maritime traffic in the newly developing Port Newark.[4]
In February 1946, a freighter damaged the HD Draw over the Hackensack,[5] and when it was decided not to repair that bridge the railroad discontinued through service from its Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City.[6] To minimize maintenance costs, the bridge over the Passaic was reduced from two tracks to one in 1955.[7]
The Kearny station was an important stop for the railroad as it was within walking distance of the Western Electric plant and other key industries, such as the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. Until the Aldene Plan was implemented in May 1967, the PD Draw was used for local passenger service between Kearny and CNJ's Broad Street Station and for local freight train service. The railroad also ran through-train service from point on its mainline and Newark Branch to the Kearny station; the last such service was a weekday rush-hour train between Kearny and Plainfield on April 29, 1967. After the Aldene Plan took effect, the bridge was used for a few years for local freight operations, but was taken out of service with the creation of Conrail on April 1, 1976.
In October 1970, in what was determined to be an act of sabotage, a 22-car freight train that included five engines was secretly assembled at the nearby railyard and intentionally let plunge from the bridge left in the open position, a standard procedure during overnight hours.[8][9]
^ abc"Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis"(PDF). (2nd Revision). United States Army Corps of Engineers. July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012. The abutments of a formerly utilized railroad freight bridge (Central Railroad of NJ) lie at approximately RM 1.2. These abutments limit channel width to 145 feet. However, NJDOT is currently investigating the feasibility of a new Lower Passaic River Bridge within the existing alignment of the former railroad freight bridge. If construction of the new bridge was to move forward, the derelict structure at RM 1.2 would be removed and would be replaced with a structure designed with adequate horizontal and vertical clearance for typical vessel traffic on the Lower Passaic River
^Olsen, Kevin K., A Great Convneincy A Maritime History of the Passaic River, Hackensack River and Newark Bay, American History Imprints, ISBN978-0-9753667-7-6
^Portway Extensions Concept Development Study(PDF) (Report). NJDOT. September 26, 2003. New crossing of the Passaic River using abandoned railroad alignment and infrastructure, supplementing the existing Route 1&9 Truck crossing. The new crossing is intended to connect Doremus Avenue and Central Avenue.
^"Portway-Passaic River Crossing"(PDF). FY 2010-2011 Studies and Development. NJDOT. Retrieved August 8, 2012. This project will study Doremus Avenue, Passaic River Crossing and Central Avenue over Route 1&9T as one project because of their connectivity. The areas of the project service industrial and commercial facilities in a section of Newark and the southern section of Kearny. The purpose of the proposed improvement is to create a connection with NJ Turnpike at Interchange 15E and Route 1&9T, and/or another variation of the two. The improved section will serve to improve access to/from trucking distribution facilities along Doremus Avenue and the NJ Turnpike and will help reduce truck traffic on Route 1&9T. It will range from replacing the existing Route 1&9T bridge to providing dual bridge structures. The reconfiguration of Central Avenue/Route 1&9T interchange may provide four 12-foot travel lanes and two 12-foot shoulders to improve flow and safety. The proposed geometry will primarily follow the existing alignment except at the interchange. Sidewalks could be provided within the proposed berm. A rail crossing on the same facility will also be investigated as part of this project.
Brennan, William J. (1993), Jersey Central Lines in Colo, vol. 2, Morning Sun Books, ISBN978-1-878887-19-1