William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge

The April 2001 release of a New Jersey Department of Transportation report labeling the Stickel Bridge "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete" has prompted officials to consider options to either rehabilitate or replace the bridge. Inspectors found both the superstructure and substructure of the old span to be in "poor" condition, the result of wall cracks and severe corrosion of structural steel. Furthermore, the steel-grated roadway, narrow lanes and tight ramps leading to the local streets have contributed to the bridge's high accident rate. In May 2008, the rehabilitation work on the span was completed. Work included having its mechanical systems overhauled, and removal of its old black coating, in favor of a light blue paint. ==Pedestrian Access==

Built prior to the conception of the Interstate Highway System, the bridge initially provided pedestrian access between the McCarter Highway (SR 21) in Newark and Hamilton Street in Harrison. A 2016 project to improve safety at the I-280/Route 21 interchange resulted in the permanent closure of the pedestrian access to the bridge, in accordance with the prohibition of pedestrian access to interstate highways. The stairways up to the bridge and the sidewalks along the bridge are still extant but are gated off, and guardrail reconfiguration on the exit ramps additionally limits access. ==See also==