Christie Wants Money To Repair Newark Rail Bridge
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Gov. Chris Christie killed plans for a Hudson River tunnel, but now he wants money for a bridge over the Hackensack River.
The New Jersey governor said the Portal Bridge outside Newark is outdated and that the state needs federal money to improve the rail.
"You cannot have truly high speed rail with the Portal Bridge the way it is now," Christie said.
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Levon Putney reports on Christie's push for bridge funding
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The federal government has given $450 million to the state for high speed rail work that will help fix signals and overhead lines and wires, but the money isn't going to the Portal Bridge, Christie said.
"They know obviously that the state's ready to step up and put a significant amount of money into the Portal Bridge project because it's something that is necessary to improve rail transportation in the region," Christie said.
The bridge is a main artery along the Northeast Corridor, which is why Christie is pushing for the money.
"There can't be high speed rail between New York and Washington without a change at the Portal Bridge," Christie said.
Are you familiar with the Portal Bridge? What kind of state is the bridge in? Tell us in our comments section below.
