First of three arches to support new Portal North Bridge arrives
The first of three massive arches to support the new Portal North Bridge arrived at the construction site, bringing the project closer to completion. The new bridge will replace the current 114-year-old swing bridge, which opens for maritime traffic and often has mechanical issues, resulting in service delays. According to New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), the new bridge is a fixed span that eliminates the need to open and close, improving the experiences of thousands of daily commuters along the busiest stretch of passenger rail in the country.
“Today marks an important milestone for the Gateway Program with the arrival of a new arch that will help replace the century old Portal North Bridge,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “Together, we are transforming the Portal North Bridge into an access point that will provide our rail passengers with a more reliable commute and our entire region with economic opportunity. We are now proudly one step closer to rebuilding our regional infrastructure and assuring that the most important public works project in America continues to move forward.”
“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,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “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 notes the new Portal North Bridge will rise 50 feet over the Hackensack River, more than doubling the height clearance and will allow marine traffic to pass underneath without interrupting rail traffic. The project is being funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, New Jersey, New York, and Amtrak. In January 2021, Gov. Murphy signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement that secured $766.5 million in Federal Transit Administration funding to support the project’s construction.
In October 2021, Gov. Murphy and NJ Transit approved a $1.6 billion construction contract awarded to Skanska/Traylor Bros PNB Joint Venture for the construction of the new Portal North Bridge. The contract represents the single largest construction award in NJ Transit’s history.
“Complex infrastructure projects of this scale are only successful through strong partnerships capable of overcoming significant challenges. The collaboration between the Skanska-Traylor JV, NJ Transit and Amtrak demonstrates what’s possible when innovation and teamwork align,” said Chris Traylor, co-president of Traylor Bros., Inc.
“As work continues on Portal North Bridge, having the first of three arches delivered to the project site is the latest of many milestones that we are proud to celebrate,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “This new milestone symbolizes both the great progress taking place on the project and the strong collaboration with our partners at NJ Transit that comes from investments in infrastructure improvements and getting the work done on time, within budget and safely.”
The Portal North Bridge project spans 2.44 miles of the Northeast Corridor line and includes construction of retaining walls, deep foundations, concrete piers, structural steel bridge spans, rail systems, demolition of the existing bridge and related incidental works. The project is a critical component of the larger Gateway Program, which will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York.
