Construction on the bridge began in 1953, and it opened to traffic on May 16, 1957.
The bridge has a total length of 11,981 feet (3,652 m), and a main span of 610 metres (2,000 ft).
The bridge has seven lanes, three in each direction and a center lane that is shifted variably (via a zipper barrier) to accommodate heavy traffic.

The bridge is a part of Interstate 76 (which, between the river and the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is known as the Schuylkill Expressway; this was originally part of Interstate 676's route until it switched positions with I-76 in 1972).
 Along with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (which carried I-76 until 1972, and has carried I-676 since), Betsy Ross Bridge, Delaware Memorial Bridge, Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of six expressway-standard bridges connecting the Philadelphia area with southern New Jersey.

The bridge was designed by noted civil engineer Othmar Ammann.
 The Walt Whitman statue by Jo Davidson was placed at the intersection of Broad Street and Packer Avenue, in Philadelphia near the approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Construction on the bridge began in 1953, and it opened to traffic on May 16, 1957. The bridge has a total length of 11,981 feet (3,652 m), and a main span of 610 metres (2,000 ft). The bridge has seven lanes, three in each direction and a center lane that is shifted variably (via a zipper barrier) to accommodate heavy traffic.
The bridge is a part of Interstate 76 (which, between the river and the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is known as the Schuylkill Expressway; this was originally part of Interstate 676's route until it switched positions with I-76 in 1972).  Along with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (which carried I-76 until 1972, and has carried I-676 since), Betsy Ross Bridge, Delaware Memorial Bridge, Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of six expressway-standard bridges connecting the Philadelphia area with southern New Jersey.
The bridge was designed by noted civil engineer Othmar Ammann.  The Walt Whitman statue by Jo Davidson was placed at the intersection of Broad Street and Packer Avenue, in Philadelphia near the approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Walt Whitman Bridge