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BOOKS FEATURING PHILADELPHIA-AREA
ROADS AND BRIDGES

Delaware River Port Authority (Images of America)

Part of the Images of America series, this book provides a photographic history of the Delaware River Port Authority's four river crossings: the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross Bridges. It also provide a photographic history of the PATCO High-speed Line.

by Cheryl L. Baisden (2009)

Benjamin Franklin Bridge (Images of America)

For more than 100 years, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge has provided a critical link between Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. Part of the Images of America series, this book provides an in-depth photographic history of Philadelphia's first major river crossing of the Delaware River.

by Michael Howard and Maureen Howard (2009)

Crossing the Delaware: The Story of the Delaware Memorial Bridge

In Crossing the Delaware, author William J. Miller, Jr., not only discusses, from beginning to end, the construction of the monumental engineering feats known as the twin spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, but provides colorful background and anecdotes from this time in history.

by William J. Miller, Jr. (1983)

Bridges Over the Delaware River: A History of Crossings

Local historian Frank T. Dale chronicles 35 historical bridges crossing the  Delaware River. This book's focus is on the upper Delaware River crossings north of Trenton.

by Professor Frank T. Dale (2003)

The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Images of America)

The Pennsylvania Turnpike, authored by NYCRoads.com and PhillyRoads.com contributor Mitch Dakelman, draws from the extensive photograph collection in the Pennsylvania State Archives. Many photos were taken by photographers hired by both the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and its contractors. Originally predicted to be a financial failure, the project wound up being a tremendous success and, eventually was expanded and improved, laying the groundwork for the Interstate highway system.

by Mitchell E. Dakelman and Neal A. Schorr (2004)

The Glory Years of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Images of America)

Picking up where the original book, The Pennsylvania Turnpike (2004), dropped off, this book, which was published for the 75th anniversary of the opening of the original stretch of the turnpike, offers never-before seen photos in a larger-format work.

by Mitchell E. Dakelman and Neal A. Schorr (2016)

Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike

First published in 1989, the updated version of this book profiles the New Jersey Turnpike's contributions to both highway engineering and popular culture. It also profiles the many changes made to the turnpike in the past 35 years.

by Angus Kress Gillespie and Michael A. Rockland (2024)

New Jersey Turnpike (Images of America)

The New Jersey Turnpike chronicles the history of the highway from 1949 through the present day. With vivid images, many of which chronicling construction of the turnpike, it follows the road's progress from an ambitious vision, through construction, to opening, and into the future.

by Michael Lapolla and Thomas A. Suszka (2005)

Garden State Parkway (Images of America)

The Garden State Parkway has transformed the lives of New Jersey residents since opening in 1954. Spanning 173 miles from Cape May to the New York State line, it has fostered tourism to the Jersey Shore and given commuters an easier way to get to work.

by New Jersey Turnpike Authority (2013)

Building Interstate 95 in Delaware (Images of America)

Part of the Images of America series, this book provides a photographic story of the construction of the Delaware Turnpike in the early 1960s, and the toll-free Wilmington Expressway section of I-95 in the mid-to-late 1960s.

by William Francis (2018)

BOOKS ON ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

Divided Highways

Based on the 1997 Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary, this book describes the development --- and downsides -- of the Interstate highway network. Despite some anti-highway sentiments, this book is one of the more comprehensive road history works.

by Tom Lewis (2013)

The Roads That Built America

Best-selling author Dan McNichol, who chronicled Boston's "Big Dig" project during its construction in the 1990s and early 2000s, tells the fascinating story of the largest engineering project the world has ever known.

by Dan McNichol (2006)

The Big Roads

The Interstate highway system dramatically changed the face of our nation. These interconnected roads--now nearly 50,000 miles and still growing--are man-made wonders, economic pipelines, agents of sprawl, uniquely American symbols of escape and freedom, and an unrivaled public works accomplishment.

by Earl Swift (2018)

Asphalt and Politics: A History of the American Highway System

This examination of the Interstate highway system in the United States, and the forces that shaped it, includes the introduction of the automobile, the Good Roads Movement, and the Lincoln Highway Association. The book offers an analysis of state and federal road funding, modern road-building options, and the successes and failures of the current highway system.

by Thomas L. Karnes (2009)

The Road Taken

Acclaimed engineer and historian Henry Petroski explores our core infrastructure from both historical and contemporary perspectives, explaining how essential their maintenance is to America's economic health. Petroski reveals the genesis of the many parts of America's highway system--our interstate numbering system, the centerline that divides roads, and such taken-for-granted objects as guardrails, stop signs, and traffic lights--all crucial to our national and local infrastructure.

by Henry Petroski (2017)

The Freeway in the City

By the late 1960s, opponents managed to delay and even stop freeway construction in major cities, including New York. The Freeway in the City was written to demonstrate how thoughtful freeway design can be implemented in a variety of urban settings.

by The Urban Advisors to the Federal Highway Administrator (1968)

Saving Historic Roads: Design and Policy Guidelines

Written by a National Trust landscape architect and planner, this book provides not only the criteria for determining historic significance, but also guidelines to adapt to current AASHTO standards while maintaining design integrity.

by Paul Daniel Marriott (1997)

American Autobahn

Mark Rask, a lifelong automotive and racing enthusiast, analyzes the combination of safety and speed on Germany's Autobahn network and offers an exciting new direction for America's Interstates that would make speeds of 100 MPH or more commonplace on open stretches of rural freeway.

by Mark Rask (1999)

The Big Dig

This colorful photographic history documents what was at the time the nation's largest single public works project. Nearly a decade and a half later, and after more than $15 billion was spent, Boston had a new network of highways tunneling underneath the city. Could this be the future of highway construction in North America?

by Dan McNichol (2000)

BOOKS ON BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Engineers of Dreams

This book profiles the important bridge engineers -- Eads, Cooper, Lindenthal, Ammann and Steinman -- who contributed to the great engineering triumphs of the 19th and 20th centuries. The New York Times said, "With astonishing scope and generosity of view, Mr. Petroski places the tradition of American bridge-building in perspective."

by Henry Petroski (1995)

Great American Bridges and Dams: A National Trust Guide

This guide provides short histories on hundreds of bridges and dams throughout the United States. David P. Billington, professor of civil engineering at Princeton University, called it "a wide-ranging guidebook through the rich and dramatic heritage of large-scale structures."

by Donald C. Jackson (1988)

Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans

Thoroughly updated from the original edition published in 1997, this oversized "coffee table" book profiles notable bridging achievements in human history. While not written for the specialist, this is still an enjoyable read. The New York Times said that Dupre "captivates the eye, mind and imagination in this ode to the greatest spans and cantilevers of the world."

by Judith Dupre (2017)

The Magnificent Bridges of New York City

It is easy to take New York City's bridges for granted, but the photographs from NYCRoads.com contributor Dave Frieder bring the city's bridges to life by capturing the inherent beauty of these historical civil engineering landmarks. This is a fine art coffee table book with images from 20 of New York's great bridges.

by Dave Frieder (2019)

Six Bridges: The Legacy of Othmar H. Ammann

This book summarizes Ammann's career and exhibits 200 black-and-white photographs and design drawings of his principal achievements: the George Washington Bridge, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Triborough Bridge, the Bayonne Bridge, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

FUN FACT: Othman Ammann also designed the Delaware Memorial and Walt Whitman Bridges.

by Darl Rastorfer (2000)

High Steel: Building the Bridges Across San Francisco Bay

The Northeast was not the only center for innovative bridge construction in the United States. High Steel chronicles the planning, development, and construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, two works of architectural and engineering genius built during the 1930s.

by Richard Dillon, Thomas Moulin, and Don DeNevi (1979)

The Bridge at Quebec

Since it was completed in 1917, the Quebec Bridge has had the longest main span of any cantilever bridge in the world. Two tragedies during the bridge's construction took a total of 86 lives. The Bridge at Quebec provides a full account of the long effort to build a bridge at this difficult site, the tragedies that accompanied its construction, and the lessons that its story holds today.

by William D. Middleton (2001)

Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance of Modern Highway Bridges

Revised to reflect the latest codes, standards, and technical advances, this practical reference covers every aspect of highway bridge engineering and management. Designed to be understood by entry-level engineers, the fourth edition of this book features the latest analysis, design, and construction methods as well as up-to-date information on materials and components.

by Jim J. Zhao and Demetrios E. Tonias (2017)

Introduction to Tunnel Construction

Tunneling provides a robust solution to a variety of engineering challenges. It is a complex process, which requires a firm understanding of the ground conditions as well as the importance of ground-structure interaction. This book covers the full range of areas related to tunnel construction required to embark upon a career in tunneling. It also includes a number of case studies related to real tunnel projects, to demonstrate how the theory applies in practice.

by David N. Chapman, Nicole Metje, and Alfred Stark (2017)

BOOKS ON PHILADELPHIA HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE

Imagining Philadelphia: Edmund Bacon and the Future of the City

When Philadelphia's iconoclastic city planner Edmund Bacon looked into his crystal ball in 1959, he saw a remarkable vision. He imagined a city remade, modernized in time to host the 1976 Philadelphia World's Fair and Bicentennial celebration, an event that would be a catalyst for a golden age of urban renewal. Bacon's vision never came to pass. This volume, published on the 50th anniversary of Bacon's seminal article in Greater Philadelphia Magazine, serves as a time capsule of a more optimistic time.

by Scott Gabriel Knowles (2009)

Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia

Edmund Bacon may have been one degree removed from Kevin Bacon -- he was the famous actor's father -- but he arguably was the closest that Philadelphia came to producing a Robert Moses-like figure. Bacon not only oversaw the planning and implementation of dozens of redesigned urban spaces, but also designed expressways to frame the boundaries of Center City Philadelphia, perhaps the most controversial of which -- the Crosstown Expressway -- was never built.

by Gregory L. Heller and Alexander Garvin (2016)

Historic Landmarks of Philadelphia

In Historic Landmarks of Philadelphia, authors Roger W. Moss and Tom Crane feature prominent, memorable structures that reflect stages in Philadelphia's growth. The buildings are arranged chronologically rather than geographically, to emphasize Philadelphia's evolution from modest mercantile outpost of a colonial power, to capital of a proud new nation, to a robust world-renowned cosmopolitan city.

by Roger W. Moss and Tom Crane (2008)

OFFICIALLY LICENSED MERCHANDISE

Garden State Parkway T-Shirt

It's T-shirt time! So head out to Seaside Heights or your favorite Jersey Shore hangout with this Garden State Parkway T-shirt, officially licensed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Easy care for when you have to do gym, tan, laundry.

HOME AND AUTO TECH

The HP Store @ Amazon

Choose from a wide variety of desktops, laptops, printers, ink and toner, and other accessories.

The Logitech Store @ Amazon

Choose from a wide variety of PC accessories including keyboards, mice, webcams, and headsets.

The Canon Store @ Amazon

Get on the road and take some pictures! Choose from a wide variety of digital cameras and accessories.

The Belkin Store @ Amazon

Power up! Choose from a wide variety of home and auto chargers for your laptop, tablet, digital camera, smartphone, or gaming device.

TRAVEL RESOURCES

Rand McNally Road Atlas Large- Scale 2026

Mapping since 1872. The latest annual edition of the big Rand McNally road atlas celebrates the nation's 250th birthday and the 100th birthday of US Route 66.

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