Construction of the Bayonne Bridge created an automotive connection between the City of Bayonne and Port Richmond that for the first time made driving from Staten Island to Bayonne and New York City feasible. As part of a broader effort to unify the ports, planners chose to bridge the Kill Van Kull at its narrowest point between Bergen Point in Bayonne and Port Richmond on Staten Island. To limit disruption to established neighborhoods, the bridge was aligned with existing roads and placed mainly in industrial areas, reducing effects on residential sections. In Port Richmond, the design connected with existing street alignments, with approaches passing down the center of blocks to minimize disruption, producing a 58 degree skew between the bridge and the channel. On Staten Island, the viaduct ran along the west side of Newark Avenue through a lightly developed part of the Elm Park neighborhood, and the approaches cut through a cement block factory, an oil distribution plant, and a coal yard. The bridge's greatest effect may have been on later growth, as it spurred residential development in north and central Staten Island and contributed to a 20 percent increase in population by 1950. In Bayonne, the approaches ran through 10 blocks between Hudson Boulevard, today's JFK Boulevard, and Avenue A in a partially undeveloped residential area, so only 35 houses had to be purchased and removed. Construction of these approaches effectively separated Bayonne's residential areas on the east from heavy industry on the west.
