PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This week is not only the 250th birthday of the United States. It’s also the 100th birthday of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) is hosting a big party to celebrate.
The opening of the long-awaited bridge between Philadelphia and Camden was part of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926. DRPA Chief Engineer Michael Howard said it was, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
“It was done with slide rules,” he said. “There weren’t computers; they didn’t have calculators that could round to tenths of thousandths of a decimal point.”
President Calvin Coolidge attended the opening. About 100,000 people walked across the 1,700-foot span.
People will get another opportunity to take over the bridge when it closes for a birthday party on July 11.
It won't be much of a party for drivers because the bridge will close to vehicle traffic between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. But people who want to celebrate the bridge's history can walk across the roadway lanes between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., when the DRPA will have food trucks, vendors and activities. The Walt Whitman and Betsy Ross bridges will remain open, and PATCO trains will continue to run.
“It’ll be a little bit of something for everyone,” said Deputy CEO Jalila Parker. “History buffs will be able to see living history. People that just like a neighborhood fair, we’ll be able to accommodate that spirit.”
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A lot has changed in 100 years. The bridge was built for cars, trains and trolleys. And the original tolls were 25 cents for a car, 15 cents for a horse, and 30 cents for a horse-drawn carriage. Today's tolls are $6, and don't try to bring a horse across!
The bridge got a new name in 1956, when the Walt Whitman opened to the south, and it was painted its now iconic blue for the bicentennial.
The bridge remains a landmark — representing the city in ads, TV and films — and an important route between states.
Registration for the free event is online at drpa.org/BFB100.
