Last week, NJ Transit and Amtrak celebrated a major milestone with the opening of the first track on the new Portal North Bridge in Kearny, N.J. On March 12, the first press/ceremonial train loaded with area dignitaries traveled across the new structure. On Monday, March 16, one track officially went into service, the first operational step in transferring service away from the current 116-year-old swing bridge. 

The original Portal bridge has long been a source of delays thanks to issues with its movement and control systems. Located on the busiest segment of the Northeast Corridor between Newark and New York, the bridge sees more than 400 trains daily, representing about 200,000 weekday passengers on Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. With the first track in service, there’s still construction that needs to occur before the second track enters service in the fall of 2027.

The new two-track, high-level, fixed-span Portal North Bridge will eliminate the maintenance headaches inherent in a 116-year-old movable bridge. The project spans 2.44 miles of the Northeast Corridor and includes construction of retaining walls, deep foundations, concrete piers, structural steel bridge spans and rail systems. Demolition of the original Portal Bridge will occur in 2027. 

—Bob Gallegos