The new bridge is part of the broader Gateway Program that will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York. “Because it’s 50 feet over the water, it will not need to be opened. So it will be fixed. So all those issues related to opening and closing the bridge and the unreliability of that will go away,” Amtrak vice president Jaidev Sankar said. The new span will replace the the existing 114-year-old Portal Bridge, which opens for river traffic and often has mechanical issues.
Governor Murphy and NJ TRANSIT Announce Portal North Bridge Project Construction Award
But the entire project itself is about two-thirds complete and remains on time and on budget, with the first set of tracks expected to go live in the second half of 2026. Skanska-Traylor PNB Joint Venture of Queens, New York was deemed the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. A significant aspect of this project is the technical innovation and resilience brought forth by R.J. These are crucial for the operational integrity and longevity of the bridge, handling expansive movements and high loads. The bridge’s design includes 656 high-load multi-rotational disc bearings designed to support vertical loads ranging from 300,000 lbs to 6,000,000 and significant horizontal loads.
- Many billions of dollars of capital work is needed along the Northeast Corridor — the busiest passenger rail route in North America — which has experienced substantial increases in delays and cancellations as aging wires, signals, power systems and other infrastructure components become increasingly unreliable.
- NJ Transit is the primary user of the Northeast Corridor in the New York metropolitan region and pays Amtrak, which owns and maintains its infrastructure, to do so.
- Bureaucratic malaise, poor relationships between the involved agencies and questions about who is paying for what are among the many reasons a bridge that has more than 400 trains cross it on a daily basis had to wait well past its 100th birthday before construction began to replace it.
- “This is one component. You’re right. Lots more to do. You don’t overcome 50 years of deferred investment in two, right? It’s a long-term program to rebuild the railway to 21st century standards,” Gardner said.
- In addition to the Portal North Bridge, the $16 billion Gateway program is currently in construction, in part to build new tunnels with which the tracks to this bridge will ultimately connect.
Connecticut to receive $291 million for transportation, infrastructure projects
“The jobs, economic growth, and most important improved quality of life Gateway brings will pay dividends for generations to come.” The next arch is scheduled to be installed in early 2025, continuing the progress of this transformative project. Each arch weighs approximately 2,500 tons and measures about 400 feet long and 80 feet tall. Building, transporting, and installing each arch requires careful coordination and precision. From heavy machinery operators to structural engineers, the collaborative effort of the construction workers and skilled laborers is vital in executing a large-scale infrastructure project of this magnitude.
Portal North Bridge’s final arch put into place as construction continues
In May, NJ TRANSIT pre-qualified four bidders and conducted a pre-bid conference and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise outreach. Skanska/Traylor Bros Joint Venture of Queens, New York was deemed the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. Also in January 2021, NJ TRANSIT advertised the Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the construction contract. The Portal North Bridge project is a testament to the collaborative effort between public entities and private companies, with significant funding from both federal and state sources, including a substantial $766.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration. Watson’s pivotal role in enhancing transportation infrastructure, promising a future of more dependable and efficient travel in the Northeast Corridor.
What about the Gateway project?
Awarded in October 2021, the project is a $1.56 billion design-build effort by the Skanska/Traylor Bros Joint Venture, with design responsibilities handled by Portal Partners, J.V., consisting of Gannett Fleming, HNTB, and Jacobs. The endeavor is not only notable for its size, stretching nearly 2.5 miles including the main and approach spans, but also for its engineering complexity. The new bridge, comprising three 400-foot-long tied arches over the Hackensack River, will improve 2.44 miles to the Northeast Corridor rail line, benefiting both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains. In addition to the Portal North Bridge, the $16 billion Gateway program is currently in construction, in part to build new tunnels with which the tracks to this bridge will ultimately connect. Officials are shepherding a number of other projects that are also in the design and engineering phases, hoping to get to construction as long as there is federal funding available to supplement dollars from New York, New Jersey and Amtrak.
Panoramic Project Snapshot
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bridge carried more than 450 daily Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains and 200,000 daily passengers over the Hackensack River – a critical link in the congested territory between Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station, New York. This two-track, moveable swing span is a major bottleneck and source of delays, particularly when the aging bridge malfunctions during opening and closing for maritime traffic. portal bridge 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 new bridge is a modern two-track, high-level, fixed-span bridge that will improve service and capacity along this section of the Northeast Corridor.
Rail service
Much of the credit for the historic levels of investment in transit and rail goes to the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, the hallmark $1.2 trillion funding package of President Joe Biden’s administration. But the kick-start to the first phase of the $18 billion Gateway program was the Portal Bridge replacement project, which received a green light under the Trump administration after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ponied up $600 million in state funding to get the grant application over the finish line. Bureaucratic malaise, poor relationships between the involved agencies and questions about who is paying for what are among the many reasons a bridge that has more than 400 trains cross it on a daily basis had to wait well past its 100th birthday before construction began to replace it. Portal Bridge provides a secure, fast, and efficient way to transfer assets like tokens and NFTs across various blockchain networks, backed by Wormhole technology. NJ TRANSIT also advertised the Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the construction contract for the Portal North Bridge in January 2021. The procurement was a two-step process, the initial step being the Special Pre-Qualification of Bidders.
Portal North Bridge – Arch Move
As of 2020[update], Amtrak operated some 293 scheduled trains a week in both directions (about 42 per day) over this segment of the Northeast Corridor between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station. Five NJ Transit rail lines (Northeast Corridor Line, North Jersey Coast Line, Morris and Essex Lines, Montclair-Boonton Line, and Raritan Valley Line) with 388 trains use the bridge each weekday in both directions. The project is being funded by the US Department of Transportation, Transportation Trust Fund, New Jersey Turnpike Authority and Amtrak. In January 2021, Governor Murphy announced the signing of a Full Funding Grant Agreement which secured $766.5 million in Federal Transit Administration funding to support the project’s final design and construction. In January 2021, Governor Murphy announced the signing of a Full Funding Grant Agreement which secured $766.5 million in Federal Transit Administration funding to support the project’s construction. The project is being funded by the US Department of Transportation, NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak.
River traffic
It will be a taller, fixed-span replacement for the 114-year-old swing span that has been prone to getting stuck in recent years, causing major delays to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains headed in and out of Manhattan. This milestone comes as President Donald Trump’s federal spending cuts and freezes worry officials at all levels of government, especially in transportation, where large capital projects have long lead times and require federal aid. KEARNY — Riders on one of the more than 450 trains that cross the Portal Bridge on any given day can now see the third and final arch pressed into place on the structure that will replace the decrepit swing-span bridge. In October 2021, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved a contract with Skanska/Traylor Bros Joint Venture for the construction of the new Portal North Bridge. The $1,559,993,000 construction contract for the project, the largest award in NJ TRANSIT’s history, includes construction of retaining walls, deep foundations, concrete piers, structural steel bridge spans, rail systems, demolition of the existing bridge, and related incidental works.
thoughts on “Groundbreaking marks start of work to replace New Jersey’s Portal Bridge”
“This is exactly the kind of legacy we think the president should latch onto. And we believe that when the bridge is completely done, we would like to have him here so he can take credit for this, as he rightly should,” Kolluri said. “This is one component. You’re right. Lots more to do. You don’t overcome 50 years of deferred investment in two, right? It’s a long-term program to rebuild the railway to 21st century standards,” Gardner said. Book your train and bus tickets today by choosing from over 30 U.S. train routes and 500 destinations in North America. Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT continue to advance project construction and achieved 75% completion in Fall 2024 when the the first of three arches were delivered to the project site and installed.
The new bridge is a modern two track, high level, fixed-span bridge that will improve service and capacity along this section of the Northeast Corridor. Rail service is currently at capacity, having grown from 40,000 daily passengers in 2005[15] to 150,000 to 200,000 daily passengers in 2015[2][3] on approximately 450 daily trains[1] for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. Opened in November 1910,[3] the bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in conjunction with service to the newly constructed Pennsylvania Station in New York City. The average bridge clearance of 20 feet (6.1 m) (depending on the tide) requires it to swing open to allow maritime traffic to pass underneath it.
While Trump was accused of slowing down the Gateway tunnels project to retaliate against then-Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer during his first term, his administration did approve the Portal North Bridge project in 2020. Gov. Phil Murphy also increased the local funding pledge for the bridge to $600 million, using 30-year bonds that would be repaid by the state Transportation Trust Fund. “Most of infrastructure, when it’s doing its job, people don’t know about it,” Gardner said. “People know about Portal Bridge because sometimes it gets stuck in the open position, it’s caught on fire a few times — it’s deserved its retirement day for a long time. “There is the construction work with all these assets here and then there’s the cutover, which is the interface of the existing railway — so there’s more work than what you see here that has to happen, and that’s interfacing the existing tracks, switches and signals,” said Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak. “This is not just about moving people through the corridor daily in a safe and reliable manner, but it is about making sure that we have an infrastructure worthy of the 21st century,” Kolluri said. Roughly 450 trains cross the old Portal Bridge daily, carrying some 200,000 Amtrak and NJ Transit riders over the Hackensack River.
New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJ I-Bank) Hosting Spring Seminars
Once construction begins, the construction contract is anticipated to take approximately five and a half years to complete. Amtrak executives say replacing the bridge will improve reliability for Amtrak passengers and New Jersey Transit riders. The Portal North Bridge Project is one of New Jersey’s most important transportation projects, replacing the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey. The existing bridge is a major bottleneck and source of delays to both NJ Transit and Amtrak due to its aging mechanical and electrical components. On November 26, 2024, the first of three massive arches to support the new Portal North Bridge was delivered by barge after a 30-hour journey down the Hudson River. This milestone marks a significant step toward replacing the aging infrastructure and improving rail service along the busiest stretch of passenger rail in the country.
Wormhole Integration: The Core of Portal Bridge
- A two-track replacement bridge – Portal North – will replace this outdated relic with a modern, high-level fixed span that does not open or close, eliminating the movable components and risk of malfunction.
- This milestone marks a significant step toward replacing the aging infrastructure and improving rail service along the busiest stretch of passenger rail in the country.
- These trains are often delayed at the Portal Bridge—the agingmechanical & electrical components sometimes malfunction while opening andclosing, causing a cascade of delays.
- The Portal North Bridge Project is a testament to the importance of investing in modern infrastructure to support the growing demands of the Northeast Corridor.
- In January 2021, Governor Murphy announced the signing of a Full Funding Grant Agreement which secured $766.5 million in Federal Transit Administration funding to support the project’s construction.
- The largest award in NJ TRANSIT’s history, this monumental step exemplifies the Murphy Administration’s commitment to funding critical infrastructure and providing investments that will benefit current and future generations of New Jerseyans.
- The new bridge is part of the broader Gateway Program that will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York.
- The existing bridge is a major bottleneck and source of delays to both NJ Transit and Amtrak due to its aging mechanical and electrical components.
- – The first of three arches for the Portal North Bridge arrived at the construction site in Kearny Tuesday.
The $1,559,993,000 construction contract for the 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. Once construction begins, the construction contract is anticipated to take approximately five and a half years. R.J. Watson is leading the way in the transformative Portal North Bridge project in New Jersey, which represents a monumental shift from the century-old Portal Bridge to a state-of-the-art infrastructure solution. This initiative is part of the most ambitious project undertaken by NJ TRANSIT to date, aiming to significantly reduce the notorious delays caused by the old bridge’s need to swing open for river traffic, thereby facilitating a more reliable and faster commute between Newark and New York. On October 12, 2021, the NJ Transit board awarded a $1.56 billion construction contract for the new bridge.
“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,” Governor Phil Murphy said. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were among a large contingent of federal, state, local, and transportation officials on hand Monday, Aug. 1, for groundbreaking for the Portal North Bridge. The new structure will replace the 112-year-old, often-unreliable swing bridge over the Hackensack River on the Northeast Corridor, said to be the nation’s busiest rail bridge. The swing span and special “miter rail” configuration pose maintenance and operational challenges. Due to age and fragility, trains are restricted to a maximum of 60 miles per hour over the bridge.
- KEARNY – President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Governor Phil Murphy, and federal, state, and local officials today broke ground on the critical Portal North Bridge.
- On October 12, 2021, the NJ Transit board awarded a $1.56 billion construction contract for the new bridge.
- Once construction begins, the construction contract is anticipated to take approximately five and a half years to complete.
- Gov. Phil Murphy also increased the local funding pledge for the bridge to $600 million, using 30-year bonds that would be repaid by the state Transportation Trust Fund.
- “This is not just about moving people through the corridor daily in a safe and reliable manner, but it is about making sure that we have an infrastructure worthy of the 21st century,” Kolluri said.
- I applaud President Biden and Gov. Murphy on highlighting this project that is key to the future of our states, our region, and the entire country’s economic well-being.
- But the entire project itself is about two-thirds complete and remains on time and on budget, with the first set of tracks expected to go live in the second half of 2026.
Unlocking South Jersey’s Economic Potential Through Infrastructure
The massive infrastructure investment represents the single largest construction award in NJ TRANSIT’s history and further exemplifies the Murphy Administration’s commitment to funding projects that will help New Jersey continue to grow and prosper for generations to come. “We stand here today at the groundbreaking for the Portal North Bridge because, after a decade of dithering and divisiveness by others, Governor Phil Murphy said ‘damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead’,” said Gateway Development Commission Member Jerry Zaro. Portal North Bridge project is an important initial element of the broader Gateway Program which will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York.
Unlocking South Jersey’s Economic Potential Through Infrastructure
The engineering challenges addressed include managing the movement of the expansion bearings, which is approximately 62.5 inches every day (one way) for the arches and 31 inches every day (one way) for the approach girders over a minimum 50-year service period. The Portal North Bridge Project is a testament to the importance of investing in modern infrastructure to support the growing demands of the Northeast Corridor. The Gateway Program, of which the Portal North Bridge Project is a part, represents a significant step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability and efficiency of the region’s rail network. The gray hairs that went mostly unmentioned Monday were those of the commuters who must deal with more unpredictable delays and other frustrations of commuting on the busiest stretch of rail in the country — one that has not received the proper investment in recent decades to prevent delays and outages.
Built in 1910, the existingPortal Bridge is a two-track moveable swing span over the Hackensack River, anda critical link in the 10 mile stretch taking trains into and out of New York.This bridge, like the North River Tunnel, is a key choke point along theNortheast Corridor, and is in dire need of replacement. Once the infrastructure bill is enacted, we will have more than enough money to fully fund these projects. I applaud President Biden and Gov. Murphy on highlighting this project that is key to the future of our states, our region, and the entire country’s economic well-being.
Amtrak Vice President Infrastructure Project Delivery Jaidev Sankar joined NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kevin Corbett, the Federal Transit Adminsitration, Skanska, and other partners on site for the arch delivery in November 2024. Union Pacific railroad family tree, which dates back to the original transcontinental railroad. “And when the new tunnel’s open, you’ll have four tracks all the way into New York with modern signals,” Corbett said.
Portal North Bridge is an important element of the broader Gateway Program that will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York. KEARNY – President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Governor Phil Murphy, and federal, state, and local officials today broke ground on the critical Portal North Bridge. The project is finally moving forward after a collaborative effort by the Murphy Administration, the Biden Administration, New Jersey’s Congressional members and Senators, and other key partners, after many years of delays.
A new bridge will also permit higher trackspeeds and increased capacity and save millions of dollars in maintenancecosts. These trains are often delayed at the Portal Bridge—the agingmechanical & electrical components sometimes malfunction while opening andclosing, causing a cascade of delays. Two blocks are at each end of the bridge while two more sit adjacent to the center of the bridge. After the wedges are withdrawn, the center-bearing supports the structure as the bridge is swung open and returns it to its closed position once the river traffic has passed through one or both of the navigation channels.