NEW YORK — Amtrak and NJ Transit have joined New Jersey officials in asking for limits on opening of the Portal Bridge, the 108-swing span over the Hackensack River that leads to frequent disruptions in Northeast Corridor operations.
The New York Times reports that Paul DelSignore, Amtrak’s program director, structures, had asked for additional restrictions on the current rules for opening the bridge. The Coast Guard has already allowed Amtrak to require a 1-hour notification before opening the bridge during peak traffic periods, but wants those periods extended — to 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. — while requiring 24 hours’ notice. NJ.com says NJ Transit officials joined Amtrak in making the request.
The two rail operations join New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker in asking the Coast Guard to act. Those officials did so in a Nov. 2 letter to the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. [See “New Jersey officials ask Coast Guard for relief from rail-bridge problems,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 5, 2018.]
The Portal Bridge problems were most dramatically on display on Oct. 30, when the bridge stuck twice as a result of opening for marine traffic. [See “Bridge failure leads to NJ Transit commuter woes,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 31, 2018.] DelSignore, in his letter, said the afternoon disruption delayed 16 Amtrak trains and 148 NJ Transit trains, affecting about 80,000 passengers.
Ms. Harding,
My apologies to both you and Mr. Simms. In being upset over his personal comments about you, rather than debating the merits of your remarks, I unfortunately descended to the same level. I strive to contain my sarcastic and cynical nature as much as possible, but occasionally it slips out.
Mister Jeffries:
Please leave Mister Simms alone. He has the right to speak, and we abrogate the right at our own peril. However he can be safely ignored.
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
Do you have a problem with Anna’s comment Mr. Simms? Your comment seems somewhat harsh and derogatory, and perhaps best kept to yourself.
Anna, I think you rock and love your comments and interpretations on these stories. Hope you have a great day!
There goes Anna once again. LOLOLOLOLOLOL
It is unreasonable to ask for 24 hours notice of a required bridge opening on a bridge which can be opened and closed readily. It is however not unreasonable to ask this on a bridge which is obviously failing, is heavily used by rail traffic, is a key artery, and which gets stuck open.
However, such a request or demand cannot be allowed to be a permanent thing. It must be accompanied by an honest effort to ameliorate the situation which I believe in this case is being done by the building of a replacement bridge.
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.