A new span for a new age
A modern bridge forges an efficient connection
It’s out with the old bridge and in with the new for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, with a little help from AECOM. Our team, in joint venture, is collaborating with both agencies to provide construction management and inspection services for a modern, two-track, high-level span that will replace the 113-year-old moveable swing span Portal North Bridge — the nation’s busiest rail bridge — over the Hackensack River in Kearny, New Jersey.
The tied arch replacement bridge will rise 50-feet over the river. As a fixed-in-place bridge, it eliminates the risk of delays and malfunctions resulting from opening and closing for maritime traffic.
Replacing the original bridge, which entered service in November 1910, will break a major bottleneck for this critical link in the congested territory between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City. Prior to the pandemic, the bridge carried more than 450 Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains and 200,000 passengers each day.
A critical part of the region’s transportation infrastructure
An important advance, the new Portal North Bridge is also a key component of the signature $16.1 billion Gateway Program between New York and New Jersey. The program, which has received some federal funding already, includes building two new tunnels under the Hudson River and rehabilitating the existing 111-year-old tunnels, which were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The Gateway Program is expected to increase rail capacity and rail speeds across this congested rail corridor.
Environmentally friendly elements
As roughly 70 percent of the project is situated in marshland on either side of the river, we were careful to consider the potential environmental impact of the bridge construction. Our team incorporated additional time into the project schedule so we could construct cofferdams and other in-water structures, enabling work to continue during the 4-month period when the fish in the river are fish-spawning and construction would otherwise be restricted.
Making tracks for a new crossing
The new span — an essential part of the transportation network in the northeast — will be built next to the original bridge. The new span’s first track is expected to be open in Spring of 2026. The last track could be put into service in the Fall of 2027, with full completion targeted for 2027.
Replacing the old bridge will finally relieve a major rail chokepoint enabling Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT to optimize passenger service while serving as a critical component of the future of transportation for New Jersey, New York and the nation.
