A Bridge In Her Honor

One of the interesting facts about Betsy Ross is that there was a bridge in her honor. Over the Delaware River, the Betsy Ross Bridge connects Pennsauken, New Jersey with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a continuous steel truss bridge. It bears Elizabeth Ross' name because she restored John Paul's army banner in 1776, creating the first American flag with 13 stars. A previous structure of the same style that had been completed in 1907 was replaced by the current bridge, which was constructed between 1959 and 1970. In order to improve Route 1 over the river from Center City Philadelphia, a new bridge was proposed. Its 1,990-foot main span is supported by pylons that are 123 feet tall. The bridge is two miles long overall, with four car lanes, and one pedestrian walkway.

There are only two suspension bridges left in New Jersey, and one of them is the Betsy Ross Bridge (the other being the Benjamin Franklin Bridge). Additionally, it is one of just three significant entry points into Philadelphia from south of the city center (along with the Lincoln and Walt Whitman bridges). When Ross mended John Paul's Army Flag in 1776, she helped create the first American flag with 13 stars, earning the bridge its official name.