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Skyway to the Past

News today of the impending two-year closure of the Pulaski Skyway, an eighty-two year old bridge connecting Newark and Jersey City, NJ. It’s a major artery leading to the Holland Tunnel and the reconstruction project is likely to snarl traffic for a long time. The governor better be on his best behavior.

The Skyway is a pretty unique trip back in time. While it is still used by 40,000 cars a day, driving it you can feel the ghosts of depression-era cars as you navigate the tight lanes, short ramps, concrete bed and black iron. I photographed the Skyway in the late 90’s as part of a personal project documenting areas on the periphery of Manhattan.

The Pulaski Skyway. Newark, NJ. 1998. Click images to enlarge.
The Pulaski Skyway. Newark, NJ. 1998. Click images to enlarge.
DUPS? Down under the Pulaski Skyway. Kearny, NJ.  1998.
DUPS? Down under the Pulaski Skyway. Kearny, NJ. 1998.
The Skyway from as seen from a golf course in Jersey City, NJ. 1998.
The Skyway from as seen from a golf course in Jersey City, NJ. 1998.
The Skyway crossing the Hackensack River. Jersey City, NJ.  1998
The Skyway crossing the Hackensack River. Jersey City, NJ. 1998.

4×5, Tri-X, my Toyo VX125, Schneider large format lenses. Can’t say that I miss cleaning and loading the film holders or the darkroom. But… that was a great camera, some perfect lenses, and a nice slow methodical way to work.