KEARNY, N.J. — The first of three massive arches that are part of the new Portal North Bridge has arrived by barge and been lifted into place at the construction site on the Hackensack River, a significant advance in the project to replace the current structure, a long-time operational headache on the Northeast Corridor.
Three tugboats, a heavy transport barge, and a spacer barge moved the 2,500-ton, 400-foot-long, 50-foot-wide arch from the Port of Coeymans near Albany, N.Y., a 30-hour journey at an average speed of 5 knots.
“The arrival of the first arch at the Portal North Bridge site marks a major milestone in transforming the Northeast Corridor into a more reliable transit route for tens of thousands of daily commuters,” NJ Transit CEO Kevin S. Corbett said in a press release. “Through this project, NJ Transit is proud to demonstrate that, even in the Northeast – where mega-projects have historically faced delays and cost overruns – it is possible to deliver a transformational project on time and within budget.”
NJ Transit is managing the project, having made the largest single construction award in the agency’s history when it approved a $1.56 billion contract in October 2021 [see “NJ Transit approves contract …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 13, 2021]. The new bridge will be a fixed span providing 50 feet of clearance, replacing a 114-year-old swing bridge that is a cause of frequent delays when it malfunctions after opening for marine traffic. The project is projected for completion in 2027.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the arrival and placement of the arch means the project is “one step closer to rebuilding our regional infrastructure and assuring that the most important public works project in America” — the multi-faceted Gateway Project on the Northeast Corridor — “continues to move forward.”
More on the project is available at this Amtrak web page.
