Good News For One Of NJ’s Most Hated Crossings: Portal Bridge

KEARNY, NJ — Are you tired of delays and mechanical failures at the 109-year-old Portal Bridge? There may be some welcome relief on the horizon.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that it improved the rating for a proposed effort to replace the ailing bridge, which spans the Hackensack River from Secaucus to Kearny.

The bridge – which serves Amtrak and NJ Transit trains – has a frustrating history of recent mechanical breakdowns, and has been an infamous chokepoint for rail commuters travelling the Northeast Corridor between New Jersey and New York City.

• See related article: Tugboat Strike, NJ Train Delays Show Need For New Portal Bridge
• See related article: NJ Transit Suspends Penn Station Trains, Portal Bridge 'Stuck Open'

The USDOT’s new stance on the bridge replacement project will mean it’s eligible for federal grant funding in the FY 2021 budget. Combined with an already earmarked $600 million in funding from the state, Monday’s announcement is a big step towards finally getting shovels in the ground.

According to Gov. Phil Murphy, the trigger is ready to be pulled.

“We have committed the entirety of New Jersey’s local share in the form of $600 million in NJEDA bonds, completed critical early construction work and developed shovel-ready plans for major construction,” Murphy said.

“[Monday’s] decision by the USDOT puts us one step closer toward our ultimate goal – replacing this unreliable, century-old bridge and reducing delays for NJ Transit customers,” Murphy said.

• See related article: Murphy Says Gateway Program Could Fix Portal Bridge Breakdowns

NJ Transit and Amtrak spokespeople also applauded the USDOT decision.

“A new bridge will significantly increase reliability for the 200,000 Amtrak and NJ Transit customers that cross the Hackensack River each day,” Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia said.

NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett said more than 450 NJ Transit and Amtrak trains cross the bridge daily.

“This critical project can’t wait any longer as this nearly 110-year-old bridge is a frequent source for delays and frustration,” Corbett urged.

What is currently a frustrating situation has the potential to become “catastrophic,” NJ Transit officials warned.

“The bridge regularly opens to allow for marine traffic to pass, and each opening causes delays on both lines,” agency spokespeople stated. “When the bridge fails to properly close, the delays cascade to affect tens of thousands of customers and their families.”

“Any rail customer that commutes between New Jersey and New York City will attest to the importance of the reliability this bridge has on the quality of their daily lives,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Chair Diane Gutierrez- Scaccetti said.

“This antiquated bridge remains a single point of failure on the NEC, which makes its replacement a top priority,” Gutierrez- Scaccetti added.

Once full construction begins, the remainder of the Portal North Bridge Project will take about five years, officials estimated.

Several elected officials from New Jersey had enthusiastic praise for Monday’s decision.

“The 110-year-old Portal Bridge is a chokepoint in our region’s aging transportation network,” said U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill of the 11th District. “I’m glad to see the Department of Transportation recognizes the financial commitment of New Jersey to this project and has changed its rating to reflect the urgency of this project and ensure progress toward getting shovels in the ground.”

“Relentless pressure from Congress has produced a major win for New Jersey commuters and I look forward to seeing work started soon,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski of the 7th District.

While the new federal rating from the USDOT is good news for commuters in New Jersey, there are still a glut of bridges that need repair throughout the state. A 2017 study suggested that more than 600 bridges in the state may be “structurally deficient” and possibly unsafe.

• See related article: NJ Has 609 Deficient, Possibly Unsafe Bridges, Study Says

GATEWAY PROJECT: A BRIDGE AND A TUNNEL

The Portal Bridge repair project is a crucial part of the massive, proposed “Gateway Project,” which would also build a two-track Hudson River rail tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan. The combined cost of the projects has been estimated as high as $30 billion.

Learn more about the Gateway Program here.

Despite a groundswell of local support for the idea of building a new tunnel across the Hudson River, there has reportedly been pushback against the project – and its immense price tag – from the Trump Administration.

In 2017, federal transportation officials sent a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, saying that a 2015 deal allegedly made in the Obama-era to split funding 50/50 between federal and state governments was off the table.

At the heart of the dispute was New Jersey and New York's plan to pay for half of the cost of the project, with the federal government matching the other half partly through loans under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing.

• See related article: $13B Gateway Tunnel In Jeopardy; Feds Trash Obama-Era Deal

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez pointed out that while federal officials have upgraded the Portal North Bridge replacement project to a “medium-high” rating, they are still maintaining a low rating for construction of a new trans-Hudson River rail tunnel.

“Make no mistake about it, this is the most significant step forward for the Gateway Program since [the Trump Administration] took office,” Menendez said.

“While it is my hope that the advancement of Portal Bridge represents a recognition by the Trump Administration that Gateway is a project of national significance, the continued low ratings for the Hudson River tunnels show that we must remain vigilant and continue to hold this administration’s feet to the fire,” Menendez stated.

• See related article: Hudson River Tunnel Shutdown Would Ravage Families, Economy

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton also blasted the decision to keep the Gateway Program on the back burner.

"The Port Authority, the Gateway Program Development Corporation and our partners at Amtrak and NJ Transit cooperated to deliver myriad improvements to the Hudson River tunnel construction financing plan, including a $1.4 billion reduction in the cost estimate and a significant decrease in the reliance on federal grants," Cotton said.

"Nonetheless, the Department of Transportation has again given a ‘medium-low’ rating to the most urgent infrastructure project in the nation," he added.

"The Department of Transportation has acknowledged that the justification for the project is ‘medium-high,’ but they continue to question with no basis the firm, repeated pledges from the two states and the Port Authority to contribute $5.55 billion to fully fund one-half of the project," Cotton said. "Unfortunately, the federal government seems to be focused on politics instead of progress, as demonstrated by this rating and the continued federal delay in granting an environmental Record of Decision. "

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