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Portal Bridge Replacement Project - It's for Real!


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 18 May 2017 - 12:00 PM

NJT news release 5/17/17:
 

NJ TRANSIT BOARD AWARDS CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR PORTAL BRIDGE PROJECT
 

 

 

NEWARK, NJ --  NJ TRANSIT has taken another step toward improving service reliability on the Northeast Corridor by moving forward with the Portal Bridge North Project and entering into an early action construction contract award.

 

At today’s Board of Directors’ meeting, the Board authorized a vote to enter into an early action contract with PKF-Mark III Inc., of Newtown, Pa., for the amount of $14.5 million, plus five percent for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds.

 

“The Board of Directors has chosen to enter into an early action contract with a vendor to help move the Portal Bridge North project to the next milestone,’’ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “This is a critical step forward in improving service reliability for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak customers along the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor.’’

 

The Early Action Construction project includes the realignment of a 138kV transmission pole, the installation of new fiber optic cable poles, the construction of a construction access structure known as a finger pier, the construction of a steel bridge structure over the Jersey City Municipal Utility Authority water main, and the construction of a retaining wall just west of the Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction.

 

The Portal Bridge is a two-track movable swing span railroad bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus in Hudson County and was constructed more than a century ago. The bridge, owned by Amtrak, is a critical link on the Northeast Corridor. Delays due to bridge failures, maintenance and reduced operational speeds have made replacement of the bridge critical to maintaining and improving passenger rail service into Manhattan.

 

“The award of this contract is an important milestone for the replacement of the existing Portal Bridge, a key part of the Gateway Program’s first phase,” said Gateway Program Development Corporation Trustee Rich Bagger. The Gateway Program Development Corporation is an agency that has been established to guide the project to completion. “The New Jersey/NJ TRANSIT commitment to advancing this early work will ensure that the Gateway Program stays on track to reach our goal of delivering much needed improvements to the commuters and travelers along the Northeast Corridor.”

 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved a project to both replace the existing bridge and expand capacity in the Corridor by constructing a new parallel span north of the existing structure. The two-track replacement bridge, known as Portal Bridge North, is designed as a high-level fixed span bridge eliminating the movable component and risk of malfunction.

 

“With this action, the long overdue Portal Bridge North replacement is underway.  We have not a minute to lose on this urgently needed project and today’s news is another demonstration of how a Federal-Local partnership can eliminate this single point of failure,’’ said John Porcari, interim executive director of the Gateway Program Development Corp.

 

The project will greatly improve service reliability for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak trains. This Early Action construction phase will support the acceleration of the Portal Bridge North construction schedule.

 

In October 2015, NJ TRANSIT was notified that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) had awarded $16 million under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program. This $16 million grant will be matched with $4 million from the Transportation Trust Fund, which will be used to support the Early Action Construction work contemplated in this authorization.  

 

Work is expected to begin in July and is anticipated to be completed by the first-quarter of 2019.

 

 

                                                                                      

 

 



#2 Sloan

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Posted 19 May 2017 - 08:37 AM

 

 

NJ Transit awards prep work contract for Portal Bridge Project

 

NJ Transit's Board of Directors authorized a vote to enter into an early action contract with PKF-Mark III Inc., of Newtown, Pa., for preparatory construction ahead of the replacement of the Portal bridge, a key link in the Northeast Corridor rail route.

http://www.railwayag...html?channel=41



#3 Sloan

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Posted 04 August 2017 - 09:54 AM

 

 

FTA issues ROD for Portal Bridge Project

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that formally adopts the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Portal Bridge Project.

http://www.rtands.co...tml?channel=284



#4 Sloan

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Posted 14 August 2017 - 06:25 AM

Picture of proposed bridge and related text [duplicated from above] are here:

 

 

http://www.railwayag...html?channel=41


Edited by Sloan, 14 August 2017 - 06:27 AM.


#5 BillMagee

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Posted 14 August 2017 - 07:58 AM

The bridge shown is what's called a "network arch" structure. The steel arches support the bridge deck with diagonal, crossing hangers. The result is a system that allows the cross-section of the arches to be smaller and lighter than if the hangers were vertical.  In addition, the arches batter inwards resulting providing resistance to side wind loads reducing the structure needed to provide that support within the deck.  This is the same type of structure that is being proposed for the Susquehanna crossing at Havre de Grace.  It's a nice looking structure, and from an engineering perspective, it is slick option for spans lengths like this.



#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 16 October 2017 - 10:56 AM

Progressive Railroading, 10/16/17:

 

Gov. Christie kicks off Portal Bridge replacement project

 

101617-Amtrak-Portal-Bridge.jpg

The $1.5 billion project is aimed at improving rail transportation between New York City
and Newark, New Jersey   Photo – Amtrak

 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie led a groundbreaking ceremony late last week to begin a long-awaited project to replace Amtrak's Portal Bridge.
 
The $1.5 billion project is designed to improve rail transportation between New York City and Newark, New Jersey. It is part of the $30 billion Gateway program to improve rail traffic on the Northeast Corridor.

 

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#7 CNJRoss

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Posted 19 October 2017 - 12:07 PM

The Gateway Program Development Corporation press release 10/13/17:

Construction on Portal North Bridge Project Gets Underway

 

Local, State and Federal partners celebrate start of first New Jersey project in Gateway Program with Groundbreaking Ceremony

 

 

Kearny, NJ – Construction of a new, more reliable Portal North Bridge is now underway, as the Gateway Program partners broke ground today on $20 million worth of early work activities.  The higher clearance, fixed-span Portal North Bridge will permit faster speeds, allow for an increase in NJ TRANSIT train capacity and eliminate a single point of failure on the busiest section of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC).

 

The Portal North Bridge Project is a critical component of the Gateway Program – a comprehensive rail investment program designed to add critical resiliency and create new capacity on the 10-mile stretch of the NEC between Newark, NJ and Penn Station New York.  This is the busiest section of railroad in North America, supporting 450 daily and commuter intercity trains and some 200,000 passenger trips.

 

“The Gateway Program is the most urgent infrastructure program in America,” said Gateway Program Development Corporation Chairman Rich Bagger.  “Eliminating single points of failure like the Portal Bridge and Hudson River tunnel that put 10% of America’s Gross Domestic Product at increased risk must be one of our highest infrastructure priorities.”

 

“The start of construction on the Portal North Bridge demonstrates the commitment of the Gateway partners to this important project of national significance,” said Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia.  “A new Portal Bridge will improve reliability on the Northeast Corridor, benefiting both New York and New Jersey, as well as the region and nation as a whole.”

 

“The replacement of the aging Portal Bridge is the first step toward ensuring a sound and efficient rail transportation system that will serve millions of riders now and well into the future,” said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. “This project is vital to our economy and the safety of millions of local commuters and people from around the world who use mass transportation along the Northeast Corridor. By working cooperatively with New York and federal lawmakers and officials, we hope to identify funding for this and the Hudson River tunnel projects that is fair and equitable for New Jersey taxpayers.”

 

“The Gateway Program, specifically the Gateway Tunnel and Portal Bridge, are vital to our New York-New Jersey region and the national economy - representing 10 percent of the nation's GDP,” said U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.  “Starting early work on Portal Bridge is a welcome first step and we must maintain a laser focus on finalizing and delivering a federal and local funding and financing plan to aggressively complete both Portal Bridge and the Gateway Tunnel."

 

The early construction work, a necessary step toward major construction of the bridge approaches and span, includes realignment of a 138kV transmission pole, installation of new fiber optic cable poles, construction of a finger pier, construction of a steel bridge structure over the Jersey City Municipal Utility Authority water main, and construction of a retaining wall just west of the Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction.

 

Funding was provided through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program.  A $16 million grant was matched by $4 million from the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund.  

 

The new Portal North Bridge is fully designed and fully permitted, having received a Record-ofDecision from the Federal Railroad Administration in 2013, which was adopted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in August 2017.  

 

In July 2016 the project was accepted into the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) project development pipeline.  A rating package submitted by the project partners in September 2016 received a “medium-high” rating and was updated in September 2017 with a more detailed financial plan.  To supplement financial commitments by the local partners, including $284 million by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and approximately $300 million from the State of New Jersey and NJ TRANSIT, the project partners are seeking approximately $750 million of the estimated $1.5 billion project cost in Core Capacity/CIG funds.

 

“Today’s groundbreaking is the first step in the Gateway project’s broader mission to remake the Northeast Corridor,” said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat of the Senate’s mass transit subcommittee.  “We make public investments in infrastructure for a reason: they benefit the public.  Families, workers, businesses – all of us reap the gains.  Thanks to language that we included in the most recent transportation bill, Gateway will be eligible for billions in future funding from the New Starts program, a federal commitment towards building a 21st century infrastructure.”

 

“We need to look no further than the century-old Portal Bridge to get a clear picture of the infrastructure crisis facing our nation,” said Senator Cory Booker, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing America's rail infrastructure. “For decades, the Portal Bridge has been a bottleneck for the entire Northeast Corridor, causing service delays that impact New Jerseyans and extend well beyond our region. Today marks a critical next step to moving the Gateway Program forward by providing New Jersey commuters much-needed relief, creating jobs, and laying the foundation for future economic growth.”

 

Built in 1910, the existing Portal Bridge is a two-track moveable swing-span bridge that opens for marine traffic, halting rail service on the NEC.  The new bridge will have twice the clearance over the river, eliminating the need for a moveable span, permitting higher speeds and facilitating an increase in capacity.  

 

The Gateway Program also proposes a second, two-track Portal South Bridge to support an approximate doubling of rail capacity between Newark and New York. 

 

# # #

 

 

Release w/2 renderings.



#8 CNJRoss

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Posted 15 July 2018 - 07:00 AM

NJ.com, 7/14/18:
 

NJ Transit gets more time to get federal funding for Portal Bridge

 

 

WASHINGTON -- New Jersey Transit has received a six-month extension as it seeks federal funding to replace the North Portal Bridge, part of the Gateway project that also includes a new tunnel under the Hudson River.

 

The Federal Transit Administration gave NJ Transit until Jan. 31 to supply the necessary information for federal funds under the Capital Investment Grants or "New Starts" program, according to a letter obtained by NJ Advance Media.

 

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee that oversees mass transit, had sought the extension beyond Saturday's deadline.  .  .  .

 

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#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 26 November 2018 - 05:35 PM

Editorial in Daily News, New York, NY, 11/26/18:

 


Bridge the divide: Stop opening Amtrak's Portal Bridge at all hours for river traffic; it messes up countless commutes

 

 

 

One of the reasons Amtrak claims its $30 billion Gateway boondoggle is urgently necessary is that the railroad supposedly needs an upgraded Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River — which opens for watercraft, messing up some of the 454 weekday Amtrak and NJTransit trains to and from Manhattan.

 

 

Editorial



Kevin Korell


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#10 CNJRoss

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Posted 12 December 2018 - 08:47 AM

NJ.com, 12/11/18:
 

NJ Transit says boats should make way for the trains during rush hour so commuters are not delayed

 

When the Portal Bridge opens to let a barge pass on the Hackensack River in Kearny, odds are good tens of thousands of Amtrak and NJ Transit riders will be delayed.

 

Officials of both railroads have a solution, until a higher replacement bridge is built, give the U.S. Coast Guard permission to keep it closed during rush hour and make the boats wait for the trains.

 

Right now, a Coast Guard rule says Amtrak, the owner of the bridge, has to open it, if a vessel’s captain make a request an hour ahead of time, even during rush hour.  .  .  .

 

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