The bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1900.[1] It was part of the PRR main line that terminated at Exchange Place in Jersey City. Upon the opening of the PRR North River Tunnels to Manhattan in 1910, the main line traffic was routed on a new alignment to the tunnels, and the Exchange Place line tracks were made available to the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, a rapid transit line to lower Manhattan (later called PATH). Service on a new H&M line between the Manhattan Transfer station in Harrison, New Jersey and lower Manhattan began on October 1, 1911.[2]
Use of the bridge was shared by the PRR and PATH system, until PRR ended its service to Exchange Place in 1961. Since that time the PATH Newark – World Trade Center line has used the bridge exclusively.[3]