Happy 100th, Ben Franklin Bridge | Inquirer South Jersey

Good morning, South Jersey. Stay hydrated out there. The heat wave is expected to continue through the Fourth of July.

To celebrate 100 years of the Ben Franklin Bridge, we have an interactive story detailing why and how it was built, and its impact across the region.

And BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the Hindu temple in Cherry Hill, won a major step toward its massive expansion plans.

Plus, International Paper is closing its facility in Barrington, and more news of the day.

— Taylor Allen (southjersey@inquirer.com)

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Construction of the Ben Franklin Bridge began on Jan. 6, 1926, with the intention of it being completed by the Sesquicentennial on July 4, 1926.

It was built after an intense push from political leaders when it became clear that relying on a ferry service was inadequate after Philly’s expansion, Camden’s population growth, and the rise of car use.

It officially opened on July 1, 1926, to pedestrians with lots of fanfare, and it allowed cars the following day.

100 years later, the bridge moves:

🌉 100,000 vehicles daily.

🌉 New Jersey’s PATCO train carrying 20,000 passengers every day.

The Inquirer’s Jasen Lo breaks down how the major bridge came to be and how it impacted the region.

In related news: Reporter Stephanie Farr walked across the bridge for the first time to celebrate its big day and documented her experience and learned its history along the way.

📧 Have you done the trek? Email us to let us know how many times and how you liked it. I’ve done it only once (but would do it again) and it was a bit steeper than I thought it would be.

P.S. Keep the party going at the bridge’s official celebration — think of it as a belated birthday party — on July 11. The festivities will be on the Jersey side near the toll plaza and, yes, the bridge will be closed to car traffic to accommodate.

The Cherry Hill Township Zoning Board greenlit plans last week to transform the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple, through an 18,330-square-foot expansion.

The renovations would add a new gym, lobby, prayer hall, and more.

Its current form looks like a warehouse because that’s what it was before becoming a temple in 2002.

The plans — which include adding three shikharas, tall spires on the roof — would alter the appearance of the temple to be more in line with traditional Hindu styles, according to the project’s architect.

Although the zoning board’s approval is a big step forward, there’s more that needs to happen before construction can begin.

Reporter Sarah Nicell has more insight on the project.

🎤 Allow me to pass the mic to South Jersey politics reporter Aliya Schneider.

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and attorneys general from across the country celebrated the Supreme Court of the United States’ ruling that President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship is unconstitutional.

The 6-3 vote comes more than a year after former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced he was leading a multistate battle against Trump’s order back in January 2025, calling it a “flagrant violation of our Constitution.” Davenport, who has carried on the fight, said at a news conference Tuesday that attorneys general began preparing for the challenge when Trump was still on the campaign trail in 2024.

“Today the Supreme Court affirmed what courts, legislators, and the 14th Amendment has guaranteed for more than a century: birthright citizens are Americans,” Davenport said. “This is the foundation of who we are as a country.”

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement Tuesday that Trump’s “malicious attempt to tear down this guarantee was so plainly unlawful and reckless that his own hand-picked Supreme Court said no.”

Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, who were both appointed by Trump, agreed Trump’s executive order was illegal though Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, also a Trump nominee, disagreed with the court’s decision. But Kavanaugh argued that the order was against federal law, not the Constitution, and suggested Congress could take action instead.

For more details on the Supreme Court ruling, reporter Jeff Gammage has the story.

Debra Hill, the original Halloween franchise cowriter and producer, is from which borough in Camden County?

A) Barrington

B) Bellmawr

C) Haddonfield

D) Gibbsboro

Think you know? Check your answer.

💭 Wondering: Who stole the walrus bone from Donkey’s Place in Camden last winter? Months later, it’s still missing.

🇺🇸 Visiting: Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park ahead of the Fourth of July.

🌊 Exploring: Seven Mile Island.

Hint: Not the Ben Franklin bridge

HIM LAWN WATT

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Tom Pawlowski, who solved last Wednesday’s anagram: Water Ice Factory. This business in Magnolia is known for its water ice cakes.

This two-bedroom cottage that was originally a garden nursery offers a spacious kitchen, custom wooden trim details, and raised ceilings.

Beyond the main house, there are multiple structures. There’s a detached building — currently being used as a daycare and schoolhouse — with its own bathroom and kitchenette. There’s also another barn-style suite that can be used a guesthouse and a large detached garage.

See more photos of the property here.

Price: $389,000 | Size: 1,100 SF | Acreage: 6

And that’s been your news of the day. I’ll see you again in your inbox tomorrow. ☀️

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