It was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1958 and completed in March 1959[1] to serve the Boonton Branch and replaced an older swing span from 1901 on the site, which had been damaged by shifting currents.

The new single-track lift bridge cost $5.5 million,[2] financed through a five-year bank loan.

[3] Following a 1963 route realignment, Erie Main Line service began using the bridge, with Erie Lackawanna, NJDOT and later NJ Transit Main Line commuter service continuing to use the route.

It is visible to motorists on the New Jersey Turnpike's western spur between Interchanges 15W and 16W.

[4] The current drawbridge schedule at Upper Hack (as stated by U.S. Coast Guard, 33 CFR 117.723) allows the bridge to open on signal unless the bridge tender is at the nearby HX Draw on the Bergen County Line upstream.