Port Authority Board Approves Construction On 3 Staten Island-To-N.J. Spans
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Three spans connecting New York and New Jersey are getting a massive, historic overhaul.
At the direction of Govs. Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo, the Port Authority board voted to approve construction projects on the Goethals Bridge, the Bayonne Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which all connect Staten Island to northern New Jersey.
Port Authority chairman David Samson said the Goethals replacement is badly needed.
"If you have the misfortune of being on that bridge at the same time a tractor trailer's going on the bridge, you essentially have a one lane bridge," Samson told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
Port Authority Board Approves Construction On Three SI-To-NJ Spans
When construction gets under way on the new Goethals Bridge, it will mark the first time in 80 years the Port Authority will build a new bridge.
"The proposed bridge would increase the number of lanes available from four narrow lanes to six wider travel lanes," said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. "Nearly 85 years old, the bridge is functionally obsolete."
LINK: Read Release On Bayonne Bridge Construction Projects | Read Release On Goethals Replacement Project
The Bayonne Bridge will not be rebuilt, but the roadway will be elevated 64 feet to accommodate cargo ship traffic. That is a first for the bi-state agency.
"We're going to build a new roadway above a roadway that people are using. It is an extraordinary engineering feat," said Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni.
The Outerbridge Crossing will be resurfaced.
The work on the three bridges, to begin this year, will create more than 5,000 jobs and more than $600 million in wages, according to Cuomo and Christie's offices.
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