The Goethals Bridge spans the Arthur Kill linking Elizabeth, New Jersey with the Howland Hook area of Staten Island, New York. The Goethals Bridge is a memorial to Major General George W. Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal and the first consulting engineer of the Port Authority. The Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which are similar in design, were the first facilities constructed by the Port Authority. The 135-foot channel clearance of the Goethals Bridge permits passage of deep-sea vessels through the Arthur Kill.

The Goethals Bridge leads directly to the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 13, and is accessible to Routes 1 & 9 and other New Jersey highways. It is a major route for traffic moving between Brooklyn and New Jersey with its direct connections across the Staten Island Expressway (1-278) to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

 

Opened to Traffic: June 29, 1928
Length of Center Span: 672 feet
Total Length of Truss Spans: 1,152 feet
Length of New Jersey Viaduct: 2,831 feet
Length of Staten Island Viaduct: 3,126 feet
Total Length of Elevated Structure: 7,109 feet
Total Length of Bridge: 7,100 feet
Width of Bridge (main span): 62 feet
Number of Traffic Lanes: 4
Width of Roadway: 42 feet
Channel Clearance of Bridge at Mid-Span: 140 feet
Number of Toll Lanes: 8
Cost of Original Structure: $7,200,000
PA investment as of December 31, 2007: $285,464,000

2007 Traffic Volumes
Total Eastbound Traffic: 14,223,000 vehicles
Total Traffic (Both Directions): 28,446,000 vehicles

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The sidewalk at the Goethals Bridge is closed to all pedestrians and motorists until further notice.