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The
General Pulaski Skyway is a series of
cantilever truss bridges in the
northeast part of the
U.S. state of
New Jersey. The highway carries four lanes of
U.S. Route 1/9 for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) between the far east side of
Newark and
Tonnele Circle in
Jersey City, passing over
Kearny. It is known as a "skyway" because it travels high above the
New Jersey Meadowlands to avoid
drawbridges across the
Passaic and
Hackensack Rivers, bridging each at a height of 135 feet (41 m). It also crosses over the
New Jersey Turnpike, many local roads, and several
rail lines. The skyway is named for
General Kazimierz Pułaski, the
Polish military leader who assisted in training and commanding
Continental Army troops in the
American Revolutionary War.
Trucks are prohibited from the Pulaski Skyway for the "safety and welfare of the public" due to its outdated design. They must use an alternate route known as U.S. Route 1/9 Truck, a series of local roads through Jersey City, Kearny and Newark that carried traffic before the Skyway was built. Pedestrians and bicycles are also banned, as the road is a freeway with no sidewalks.
The Pulaski Skyway opened in 1932 as the last part of the
Route 1 Extension, one of the first
superhighways in the United States.
The structure has undergone only minor changes, and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places (as part of the Route 1 Extension) on August 12, 2005.
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