Real bridge in a parallel universe, or simply a fantasy that never became reality? We did a double-take ourselves when we first saw images of the West Jersey Bridge majestically spanning the Hudson River. As you can see from this postcard, there was actually a proposal in 1923 by engineer Gustav Lindenthal for a double-deck suspension bridge across the Hudson. Dwarfing what would ultimately be built as the George Washington Bridge, this proposed structure called for 20 traffic lanes and 2 walkways on its upper level and 12 lanes on the lower level. Perhaps most intriguing and amusing is this trading card from a cigarette pack, which contains data somewhat mirroring that of the GWB. Part of a set of 48 cards of “Famous Bridges”, this card describes the West Jersey Bridge as having the unprecedented suspension bridge width of 270 feet!