If you’ve ever thought that infrastructure improvement is thankless work, here’s an upcoming project that could elicit the gratitude of millions: the replacement of the Portal North Bridge.
Since opening for rail traffic in 1910 across the Hackensack River in Kearny, NJ, only a few miles from New York City, the Portal North Bridge just might be the most important bridge you’ve never heard of. As a critical link in both Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and NJ Transit’s commuter rail services, the Portal North Bridge carries in excess of 450 trains per day, between each operator. Apparently, it’s long overdue for replacement: the low-lying, two-track “swing-span” bridge in the Meadowlands has become a bottleneck for rail traffic across the densely-populated region.
For decades, ambitious and expensive plans have made their way through feasibility studies, cost analyses, and modeling only to be nixed in the face of budgeting and politics. Now, according to Anthony Zurita of northjersey.com, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $91.5 million in funding for the bridge’s replacement.
In the midst of a devastating COVID-19 pandemic that has left so many out of work or underemployed, it’s perhaps harder these days to get excited about millions in funding granted to a massive, public transportation infrastructure project in one of nation’s wealthiest areas.
Still, replacing this important little bridge is no small feat. Right now, every few times the bridge is opened, operators have to use sledgehammers to beat the tracks back into place. Yes, you read that correctly. This is a major link in America’s commuting infrastructure en route to the nation’s largest city, and every so often a group of operators has to hit the rails with hammers so people may go to and from The Big Apple.
Commuters have been feeling the pain through the years of neglect: a Northeast Corridor (NEC) Commission staff analysis estimated that commuters using the North Portal Bridge between 2014–2018 were set back nearly 2,000 hours in delays. According to Amtrak, their new bridge looks to be a massive improvement: the replacement will consist of a far higher, fixed-span without moving parts (sorry, sledgehammer guys).
Despite the sizable funding awarded to the project, this amount will only account for a fraction of the total cost to replace the bridge. Costs are expected to run upward of $1.8 billion, so both Amtrak and NJ Transit are working with US DOT to hammer out a plan to secure funding and put shovels in the ground.
While the project will take years to complete, the logistical benefits are tremendous. For those of you looking to visit Broadway once the pandemic has subsided, just know that your train ride might get a lot quicker in the next few years.
