On March 10, 1683, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a law requiring the building of bridges across all of the rivers and creeks along all of the King's Highway in Pennsylvania, from the Falls of the Delaware (at Trenton, N.J.) to the southernmost ports of Sussex County (now part of the state of Delaware).

The bridges, which were to be completed within 18 months, were to be ten feet wide and include railings along each side.

[3] Anyone who traveled to Philadelphia by horseback or coach from the northern colonies crossed over the bridge, including delegates to the First or Second Continental Congresses, such as John Adams, from Massachusetts.

In 1803, the bridge was paved with macadam, and at its south end a toll booth was erected, remaining in operation until 1892 when the turnpike was purchased by the city of Philadelphia.

[4] SEPTA's trackless trolley route 66, which was formerly a streetcar, crosses the bridge on its journey from Frankford Transportation Center to Torresdale.