Steel structures destined for a rail bridge in New Jersey, USA, were ferried down the Hudson River by tugboats this week.
The sections were manufactured in New York by Skanska and ferried by Carver Company to the site of Portal North Bridge. Amtrak and NJ Transit are replacing the 1910 structure, which traverses the Hackensack River.
The swing bridge is used by more than 450 trains and 200,000 passengers each day. Services are disrupted by the structure’s operational and maintenance needs. The new bridge has a 15m clearance over the water so there is no need for it to open for marine traffic.
Construction of the new Portal North Bridge is by a joint venture between Skanska and Traylor Bros under a US$1.5 billion contract, the largest ever awarded by NJ Transit (link opens in new tab), with construction management by Aecom.
The Portal North Bridge is a key initial element of the broader Gateway Program, which will eventually double rail capacity between Newark and New York.
