The headwaters of the Elizabeth are in East Orange in Essex County.[1] The river rises in an urban area at the border between Irvington and the Vailsburg neighborhood of Newark.[2] It flows in a generally southern direction through the center of Irvington in a concrete channel with masonry walls built in the 1920s and 30s[3][4] passing along the east side of Civic Square. Further south, it forms the west boundary of the 19th century Clinton Cemetery.[5] At the southern end of the cemetery, the river passes under the Garden State Parkway near Exit 143 and disappears as a surface waterway.
The Elizabeth River reemerges just south of the UnionCounty line near Garden State Parkway Interchange 142 between Union and Hillside. After passing under I-78 it runs through the Elizabeth River Parkway. Here, the river is joined on its left bank by its first significant tributary, Lightning Brook. The Elizabeth River then flows under the Garden State Parkway again. After passing under US 22, the river turns eastward and is joined by the West Branch Elizabeth River. The river then flows past historic Liberty Hall and Kean University. Much of the river is contained by levees in this section.[6]
At Trotters Lane, the river enters Elizabeth, where the river runs for 4.0 miles (6.4 km), passes under numerous bridges, and for a greater extent is channelized.[1] At the bridge on the South Front Street it flows into the Arthur Kill.
The Elizabeth River Trail is a project to construct a park and riverside trail from South Broad Street in Downtown Elizabeth to the river's outlet into the Arthur Kill, a distance of 2+1⁄2 miles. Phase I, between Broad and Bridge streets near St. John's Parsonage, opened in 2012.[13][14][15][16] Phase II was completed and opened in August 2018.[17]
Crossings
This list is for the crossings in Union County
This list is for the crossings in Essex County from Union County line to source
^"BridgeReports.com - Bridges of Elizabeth, New Jersey". uglybridges.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
^"South First Street Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"CRCX - Elizabeth River Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^"CNJ -Elizabeth River Drawbridge (Old)". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^Staten Island Bridges Program, Modernization and Capacity Enhancement Project: Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Vol. 1. United States Coast Guard. 1997.
^"NJTurnpike/I-95 Straight Line Diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
^Baptista, Robert J (2015). "Elizabeth, New Jersey Then and Now". Retrieved 15 February 2018.
^Unit, NJDOT Web Development. "NJDOT holds groundbreaking ceremony for the new Route 1 & 9 Viaduct over the Elizabeth River". www.state.nj.us. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
^Elizabeth River Basin Ursino Dam 00387 (PDF) (Report). USACE. December 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
^"USGS Current Conditions for USGS 01393450 Elizabeth River at Ursino Lake at Elizabeth NJ". waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 7 April 2018.