Regional leaders in the Delaware Valley began discussing the idea of connecting Philadelphia and Camden as far back as the early 1800s. Up until a bridge was built to cross the Delaware River, the only way to cross the river between Philadelphia and N.J. was by various ferry lines. (1st - 3rd photos) Ferry service started just a few years after Wm. Penn arrived in Philadelphia. By the 1870s, there were already a half-dozen ferries between Philadelphia and Camden.
One of the earliest proposals (in the 1860's) was a two part bridge connecting Philadelphia to Windmill Island (4th photo - map) (which used to sit about 1/4 of the way between Philly & Camden) and a 2nd, longer bridge from the island to Camden. This project never went far due to lack of funding and questions about the technical ability to build a bridge that long.
In 1904, work was progressing on the new Market Street subway; by 1907, it would reach all the way to 69th Street. Developers began to think about expansion in the other direction. Not north to Frankford, as would eventually happen, but due east to Camden, via a tunnel under the Delaware River. (5th photo - proposed tunnel)
Within a short time, the Delaware River Tunnel Company was formed and in 1909, both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company were on board. With the help of the two corporations, the tunnel could be privately funded, just as the Market St. subway had.
Negotiations were going well until the end of the summer of 1909, when Camden City Council, wary of the intentions of the railroad, decided to pass on the project. By the end of the year, the plan was abandoned.
In 1912 and 1917, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania legislatures created a pair of commissions for the purpose of jointly building, operating, and owning a single toll bridge.
Early on, there was talk of where to locate the bridge, with both Market St (6th photo) and Walnut St (7th) being proposed. Ultimately the current location was chosen, though the position of the bridge's foundations were moved 14 feet to the south after St. George's Methodist Church successfully sued the city, saving it from demolition. Not so lucky was St. John's Lutheran Church and numerous other buildings torn down for the project.
drawing of Arch St Ferry Ferry Building at foot of Market Vine St Ferry terminal, 1899
1776 map showing Windmill Island
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