Portal North Bridge's third and final arch is now in place. It's a major milestone in the project.
The final arch on the new Portal North Bridge in New Jersey is in place. It's a major milestone in a crucial piece of rail infrastructure.
Roughly 450 trains cross the old Portal Bridge daily, carrying some 200,000 Amtrak and NJ Transit riders over the Hackensack River. The 114-year-old bridge is plagued with problems.
"Sometimes it gets stuck in the open position. It's caught on fire a few times. It has deserved its retirement day for a long time," Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said.
The new Portal Bridge is going up next to the old one. All three of its arches are now up. The new bridge should help with reliability.
It's a crucial stretch of the Northeast Corridor, NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri said.
"This is not just about moving people through the corridor daily in a safe and reliable manner, but it is about making sure that we have an infrastructure worthy of the 21st century," Kolluri said.
New Jersey commuters endured another chaotic summer last year. Gardner said work is being done systemwide to try to prevent the same from happening again this year.
"This is one component. You're right. Lots more to do. You don't overcome 50 years of deferred investment in two, right? It's a long-term program to rebuild the railway to 21st century standards," Gardner said.
The new bridge wouldn't have been possible without support from President Trump during his first term.
"This is exactly the kind of legacy we think the president should latch onto. And we believe that when the bridge is completely done, we would like to have him here so he can take credit for this, as he rightly should," Kolluri said.
The hope is to have trains rolling over the new bridge by late 2026. The following year, the old bridge will be torn down.
