Portal North Bridge

Newark, NJ

NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak are replacing the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a higher bridge that will not open and close to river traffic.

The existing Portal Bridge opened in 1910. The structure carries Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT passengers over the Hackensack River — a critical link in the congested territory between Newark, NJ and New York Penn Station. The two-track, movable span is a major bottleneck and source of delay, particularly when the aging bridge malfunctions during opening and closing for maritime traffic.

The two-track replacement bridge called Portal North is a modern, high-level fixed span that does not open or close, eliminating the movable components and risk of malfunction. The new 50,000 SF bridge will rise more than 50 feet over the river and, including the approaches, span nearly 2.5 miles of the Northeast Corridor railway. Portal North Bridge is an important element of the broader Gateway Program to double rail capacity between Newark and New York.

Night and weekend work is the only option to do the construction work, which complicated the estimate along with maintaining the railway’s activity while removing major elements.

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