Glimmer Glass Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Glimmer Glass Bridge is a bridge
located in Manasquan
, New Jersey
. It carries traffic from Brielle Road over the Glimmer Glass, a navigable tidal inlet of the Manasquan River
, from Brielle
to Manasquan. It is owned by County of Monmouth
.
The Glimmer Glass Bridge was built in 1898. It is a cable lift bascule bridge
, using a rolling counterweight design. The bridge was modernized in 1957. However, the integrity of the original design has been maintained and it operates in the original manner.
It is 279 feet long and 20 feet wide. It has 17 spans. The rolling counterweight single-leaf bascule bridge with a deck girder movable leaf is the only example of the late 19th century bridge type in the state of New Jersey and possibly the entire country. It was, at the time, a popular design for railroads in New Jersey for spanning canals.
Scientific American
in 1896 described a recently completed, nearby bridge on the Erie Railroad
on its main line over Berrys Creek
near Rutherford, New Jersey
:
The bridge uses a curved track and rolling counterweights. The work expended in raising the leaf is equal to the energy released by the falling counterweight. The toe end of the moveable span is linked by cables to cylindrical rolling counterweights. The connecting cable passes over a tower column with a curved track. Moving the counterweights along the curved track raises or lowers the bridge.
The Glimmer Glass Bridge is located in a salt marsh
lowland surrounded by what was once a seasonal community of small bungalow
s and cottage
s. However, the structures have been modified and new homes have been built in Manasquan and neighboring Brielle
, leaving the area near the bridge not eligible for historic district status as determined by the State of New Jersey
.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
located in Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It carries traffic from Brielle Road over the Glimmer Glass, a navigable tidal inlet of the Manasquan River
Manasquan River
The Manasquan River is a waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making...
, from Brielle
Brielle, New Jersey
Brielle is a Borough located in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey along the Manasquan River. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,774....
to Manasquan. It is owned by County of Monmouth
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
.
The Glimmer Glass Bridge was built in 1898. It is a cable lift bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
, using a rolling counterweight design. The bridge was modernized in 1957. However, the integrity of the original design has been maintained and it operates in the original manner.
It is 279 feet long and 20 feet wide. It has 17 spans. The rolling counterweight single-leaf bascule bridge with a deck girder movable leaf is the only example of the late 19th century bridge type in the state of New Jersey and possibly the entire country. It was, at the time, a popular design for railroads in New Jersey for spanning canals.
Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
in 1896 described a recently completed, nearby bridge on the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
on its main line over Berrys Creek
Berrys Creek
Berrys Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands in Bergen County, New Jersey.-Geography:...
near Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 18,061. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
:
"...although the principle behind the design is not entirely new, the Berry's Creek Bridge is the first application of this system of counter weighing for a structure of this magnitude."
The bridge uses a curved track and rolling counterweights. The work expended in raising the leaf is equal to the energy released by the falling counterweight. The toe end of the moveable span is linked by cables to cylindrical rolling counterweights. The connecting cable passes over a tower column with a curved track. Moving the counterweights along the curved track raises or lowers the bridge.
The Glimmer Glass Bridge is located in a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
lowland surrounded by what was once a seasonal community of small bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
s and cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s. However, the structures have been modified and new homes have been built in Manasquan and neighboring Brielle
Brielle, New Jersey
Brielle is a Borough located in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey along the Manasquan River. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,774....
, leaving the area near the bridge not eligible for historic district status as determined by the State of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.