The first arch is now installed on the Portal North Bridge in New Jersey

KEARNY, NJ – 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 Hackensack River construction site, a significant advance in the project to replace the current long-standing structure operational problems on the Northeast Corridor.

Three tugboats, a heavy-lift barge and a distance barge moved the 2,500-ton, 400-foot-long, 50-foot-wide bow from Coeymans Harbor near Albany, New York, in a 30-hour journey at an average speed of 5 knots.

“The arrival of the first arch at the Portal North Bridge site marks an important 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 news release. “With this project, NJ Transit is proud to demonstrate that even in the Northeast – where megaprojects have historically struggled with delays and cost overruns – it is possible to deliver a transformational project on time and within budget.”

NJ Transit is managing the project and has won the largest single construction award in the agency’s history with the approval of a $1.56 billion contract in October 2021 (see “NJ Transit Approves Contract…”) Trains News Wire, October 13, 2021). The new bridge will have a fixed span with a headroom of 50 feet and will replace a 114-year-old swing bridge that often causes delays when it stops functioning after opening to shipping traffic. The project is scheduled to be completed 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 ensuring it is the most important public works project in America” ​​- the most multifaceted Northeast Corridor Gateway Project – “Continues Progress.”

For more information about the project, visit this Amtrak website.