So, it is only in the last 3 years this bridge has had issues? WHY WASNT this one of the famous “shovel ready projects 10 years ago?
" That project, which is known as Gateway and would cost as much as $30 billion, had been deemed one of the most critical infrastructure projects in the country by the administration of former President Barack Obama. "
Oh.... now I understand why it won't get funded. it was an Obama plan and everything he proposed must be cancelled. We're in for a long winter with dt........he never used tranes so why would he care if they work.
Dear NY Times...using clickbait headlines like "This NJ Bridge..." is beneath you and feels more like a buzzfeed article than a respected news organization. You would never use such a headline in a print publication. It's not worth selling out for the clicks by using it here.
1
How absurd that it was allowed to open during rush hour to begin with??
3
It should have at least three tracks, to accommodate future needs. How much more could that cost?
2
Maybe the president's downgrading of the priority is merely to "encourage" those wealthy New Jersey business elite to move to one of his developments in NYC.
1
Thank God Trump sank the Gateway over partisan beefs. Now I can finally read all of Tolstoy while waiting for 105-year-old trestles to open!
4
Republicans may have blocked the rail bridge and tunnel construction but at least they kept the George Washington bridge operating with no delays. Oh, wait, there was a problem, wasn't there? At least Gov. Christie kept the state parks and beaches open. Oh, wait, only for himself and his family? But who can blame him?
8
Ah. Is this what is meant by American Exceptionalism? Experts in deteriorating infrastructure and Banana Republic leadership/traitors.
5
This is another example of the United States descending into a third world country.
18
So what’s the quid pro quo Trumpo is looking for to free up federal funds for this vital infrastructure project?
Maybe a nolle prosequi agreement from the USA/SDNY or Cy Vance for the numerous charges he should face when he slinks away from DC?
6
The proposed-stalled new bridge would have only two tracks?
4
This is so pathetic it makes my head explode. I remember years ago, in another life living in Foggy Bottom, laying in bed in the AM with the radio on and hearing that the Wilson Bridge was stuck open and there were 10-mile backups on 95. I would laugh, roll out of bed, dress, grab a bite to eat and walk the three blooks to GW Hospital for a day of fun in the ICU. I do know the two people I know who voted for Trump are happy that thye have a little more money in their pockets.
3
No need to spend a dime as long as the crew can keep things going with the wack of a sledgehammer.
3
The corruption of Democratic politicians on display once again. When Democratic's are in charge as they have been in NY and New Jersey for years this is what your going to get.
@Gary , wait, what? The Access to the Region's core megaproject was ended by Chris Christie, a Republican. The current stall is entirely due to Trump, a Republican.
Essentially everyone agrees this is the most important transit infrastructure project in the U.S., but Christie cancelled it because he was running for President and wanted to show his anti-transit cred to red state America and Trump is doing it just out of spite. The entire Northeast Corridor congressional representation, both parties, supports the project.
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@Gary You know very well that Republicans only pay lip service to infrastructure repair/replacement. You can thank all Republican law makers and their supporters for this. Oh, and why is it that it is only Democrats who support a nationwide rail system and adjunct commuter rail and small rail for inner-cities to and from the suburbs? I guess republicans love the smell of exhaust fumes in the morning; I smells like victory? Yes. For the nabobs in the Republican Party. And one more question @Gary from Loveland: What has the Republican Party ever done for the working class?
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@John O'Brien The Republicans do support money-losing Amtrak long-haul operations that serve their depressed rural communities though.
1
Agree with some of the other comments here, but surprised no mention of the staggering $1.6bln price tag to replace this "fairly ordinary bridge". No doubt that when built this price tag will prove too low. Almost two years ago the NYT had an excellent article on cost overruns on the East Side Access project. Where's the outrage that at best, we pay $3 for every $1 worth of value on these large scale projects?
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@JG
The Portal Bridge is very low above the water and pivots to allow boats to pass. The proposed new bridge would be much higher to eliminate the need to open for maritime commerce. The higher bridge would require a lengthy rising approach railway gradient. Trains don't climb steep camelback overpasses.
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@Steve M ...I wonder exactly what kind of boats actually pass under this bridge, are they critical to the regions economy. I hope that are more than small fishing boats taking out day trippers.
1
What is going on here when the central government punishes states and regions for disagreeing with the erratic behavior of the mad king? Aren't there enough problems to solve without inventing more? Time to say bye bye and reshuffle the deck. If we deify him (make him a god like the Romans used to do) or name the bridge for him will it get built?
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Please remind me how much money we have set on fire to bail out farmers? 28 billion and counting to bail out private enterprises. The federal government can’t help out to pay half of a bridge that Amtrak owns??? Time for northeast to stop paying taxes to bail out the southern states year after year. This mooching has to stop.
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When you are dealing with the Mob, act like the Mob. Tear up the streets in front of buildings the Don owns, impede all traffic to those buildings, and then ask for the money.
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We got money for a Wall (which was promised that Mexico would pay fir but it’s not), but not for a bridge?
13
We are living off the 110 year old infrastructure put in place by the old Pennsylvania Railroad. We are doing no equivalent major infrastructure projects that will still be providing service to our descendants 100 years from now.
It reminds me of distillers making 50 year old whiskey. If you drink up what was set aside 50 years ago, and make nothing for the people 50 years from now, it will be the end of the line.
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I assumed, when beginning this article, that the news would be a plan to fix the bridge.
Instead the news is that the barge traffic would be stopping so that the faulty bridge would be opened less often.
The additional news is that plans and funding to fix the bridge are on hold indefinitely thanks to politics.
And all that sums up America well.
All that is left is a snarky comment on how Trump needs his third Infrastructure Week.
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@Yeah I agree. There are no details but has anyone investigated what it would take to get the current bridge to close properly without the sledge hammers. It seems like that might be a better short term solution than just closing it to water traffic during commute hours.
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@Yeah Agreed. Yes, this is the state of America's infrastructure. Crumbling, rusting, falling apart. And the so-called solutions: band-aid measures. So, in this case, rather than fixing the bridge, or better yet, replacing it with a more reliable one to minimize delays to commuters, essential boat traffic is banned at commuter times. I fear that when the bridge is required to open, because it stays closed longer, it may not reopen, period!!
I definitely understand the pain the commuters face when the now ancient bridge acts up, delaying them.
It seems to me, our "greatness" is past. There was a time when we as a nation boasted modern infrastructure, could think and execute big ideas, often with cooperation between government and private interests. (Think our rail systems of the past that linked cities and towns of all sizes, Hoover Dam, Interstates) Now we are gridlocked, choking with congestion on roads, sending greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, because we for the most part, abandon mass-transit initiatives, we let our infrastructure go to pot, while politicians bicker about this and that while the people have deal with our falling-apart structures.
I always say, think of all of the jobs (well-paying) that could be created just by way of renewing our vital infrastructure.
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@Yeah
Snarky? No, sadly it is a commentary on trump's failure to yet again follow through on a campaign promise.
Perhaps to some, it's okay that he steals from the Military for his vanity wall, but to provide actual benefits to Americans trying to get to work? Gosh, he's too busy for that.
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NY Penn Station actually needs four tracks into NJ and not just the existing two. Likewise, any replacement for the Portal Bridge should have four and not the two shown on proposals. Merely replacing what we have is not good enough.
I would also mention that the bridge leading into Newark Penn Station dates from the 1930s and could well require replacement in the near future. Those who ride the North Jersey Coast Line are aware how much the trains have to slow when crossing bridges on that route.
9
Perhaps NJ and NY should pass a law that the Federal Government spend as much money in their states that their residents pay out in Federal Tax dollars. And if not then refuse payment of Federal income taxes
8
I am definitely not a trump fan, but just maybe he hit on something. Now that we are becoming Isolationist, the U.S can cut back on all the military spending that is keeping "This country from becoming Great again" and put the funds into our Infrastructure! All across this country from N S E + West this is happening! I hope someone in the next administration will change this. In most of the world they FIX things the proper way as time goes by. In America we have a large percentage of younger people who do not want to work with their hands, and we won't let foreigners come in and work. Maybe we can sign on with China's "Bridge and Road" program?
1
I was on a NJ transit train Monday late in the rush hour. We made it to Newark airport and had a hold up due to the need for EMS. After sitting on the train for an hour another train that stopped where we needed made a stop and we got on it to continue our commute home. The delay was a pain for us but what I found totally unacceptable was that they were unable to get EMS to the train before we left it after an hour of waiting. It was a hassle for us but possibly a tragedy for the sick person who needed help. Let's hope that poor citizen wasn't dying of a heart attack or that poor woman in labor had a live baby.Whatever the circumstances the delay was inexcusable and unacceptable. Why would it take so long at a major airport to get EMS to aid someone on a train at its own train station?
5
It seems like keeping the status quo of the old bridge with a commuter-friendly operating policy is the best course.
$1.6 billion may be a low estimate to replace the current bridge with a fixed, elevated bridge, but let's assume the cost is correct. Let's also assume that each of 200,000 daily commuters loses, on average, 5 hours per year to the bridge operating for river traffic.
That is one million people-hours per year. Let's say, because the time is unscheduled, that this imposes a $100 cost per person-hour for the delay on society - the delayed person and the inconvenience to the employer or client or someone waiting for them socially. That is a cost of $100 million per year from delays.
The nominal payback period on the new bridge is thus, at best, 16 years. That is not especially compelling even ignoring the risk of budget overruns and any delays imposed by construction. The estimate could be doubled to ten hours per person per year and it would still not be obviously better to replace the bridge.
Keeping the current bridge and giving trains uninterrupted use during rush hour, when both the number of affected persons and the social cost of each train delay will be highest, seems to be the best policy unless I am wildly underestimating the frequency of delays or their cost (which I may be).
1
@Alan You have only completed one half of the analysis required. You would have to include the benefits ('profits') of the bridge after the state 16 year payback period. $100 million (per your numbers) in benefit per year sounds wonderful, considering the lifespan of such a project (50 years?) If we don't replace, then we just kick the can further down the road. You could also model the potential increase in ridership and growing potential for maintenance issues, which will probably push the analysis toward 'replace' rather than 'delay'.
Also, 16 year payback period for a large infrastructure project is a super short amount of time.
2
@Nickel
People use nominal payback period as a crude shorthand estimate for a project's ROI that lay people can relate to. It is not ignoring what happens in the future, it is suggesting that the longer the payback, the lower the future benefit in all years.
The point is that it is not a compelling replacement when the current bridge still works safely.
We have the choice to not spend the money on infrastructure. It could go to teacher's pay or police training or reaearch or just be left to pay down the deficit.
If the ROI is worse for most infrastructure projects maybe we are indulging too many of the wrong projects or too many projects period.
You assume that the current bridge will continue to operate just as it does now forever. In reality all bridges need to be replaced eventually.
So the costs and benefits are for a *delay* in replacing the bridge.
Run the numbers again assuming that in, whatever, even sledgehammers and delays in barge traffic won’t make the bridge function as a bridge. Say a hundred years. Replacement now still provides more benefit than cost.
I would suggest hat any infrastructure that affects trump properties be put on the back burner forever. The balky water main, the con Ed main that may someday become balky to trump tower or Chris Christie’s house, we’ll get to that, someday in the far future.
7
"It is a fairly ordinary bridge"
No, it is a completely unique swing bridge based on its design which was jerryrigged generations ago. THAT's why it is a continuing maintenance headache and one that would already have been replaced if not for Chris Chistie canceling the ARC project.
7
The only thing to be grateful in all of this is that at least builders and engineers of a century plus ago knew how to build lasting quality in many of their projects, like this bridge. Balky with age, yes, but it still essentially works. I feel safe in saying that whatever new replacement gets erected will not last half as long.
5
I wonder about the other half of the equation.
How many boats require the bridge to open and what happens when it no longer functions ?
6
The greatest country in the world, (so we have been told) has no high speed rail, and in most cases it has slow speed rail. While the Shanghai maglev reaches speeds of 267 mph, and the 200 mph bullet Trains of Japan date back to the 1960s. Nothing in America even comes close. It's very sad.
39
Every article like this brings back memories of Chris Christie cancelling the ARC tunnel project. The dismal state of our infrastructure in general means we are well past our peak. Think of how serious investing in infrastructure pays off in many ways including making many meaningful jobs available. It will take a miracle to recover!
24
I worked at NJT in the '80's when replacing this bridge was considered a high priority item. Obviously, doing so slid down the list as the railroad declined.
And now, you report that replacement is part of the overall Gateway project.
Let it never be forgotten that it was former Governor Chris Christie who killed the Gateway project and left NJT rail commuters in the lurch.
Yes, the same Governor Christie who gave us Bridgegate.
I often wonder if his aims in both cases was to isolate Manhattan but that all he accomplished was to isolate New Jersey?
30
I wrote a detailed term paper in college ten years ago on the Gateway Project and the various alternatives in an urban planning class. Reading the paper today seemed like I could have written it earlier this year.
13
Well we had $28 billion to give to farmers as a result of Trump’s crack negotiations with China, so how is the federal government crying poor?
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@George, It would cost more the 28 billion to fix the bridge so give it to the famers. Why not?
1
@George, It would cost more the 28 billion to fix the bridge so give it to the famers. Why not?
@Steve Beck
the price tag is the whole gateway project, not just the bridge, and quite honestly why give it to the farmers? The 28 billion Trump has given the farmers is basically a political payoff because he doesn't want the farmers to experience the consequences of his trade war, they voted for Trump, support him, but they don't want to experience the pain Trump is causing.
As far as why do the gateway project, who do you think is paying for the farmer's subsidies? The NYC region is something like 25% of our GDP and the NYC region gets back 65c for every dollar they pay in, the farm belt gets several bucks for each dollar they pay in...
16
Vote blue? No bridge for you!
24
Once again the trump administration lets its own ineptitude and petty politics sabotage the good of the nation and delay vital infrastructure projects. To what end???
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@John Warnock
Right, but let's also keep the newly-named Moscow Mitch in the mix, because President Obama ran for his first term in part on a platform of national infrastructure improvement, none of which had a chance while Mitch and the Party of No blocked any attempts to get things off the ground. And they're still blocking it despite being in the Senate majority.
6
The greatest, richest country in the history of civilization and this is what we got. Primitive New York, behind every other industrialized nation, still can’t build a bridge. Name it Cuomo and many it will get done. Simply embarrassing.
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@Unbelievable As much as I love to rag on Cuomo, in this case, you can blame the federal administration for its woeful support of basic infrastructure. This is a politically slanted case—Trump and cronies not giving money to blue states—but we've really not had robust infrastructure spending for decades.. One less stealth bomber might do the trick
14
@Unbelievable
What does New York have to do with this? It was Christie who cancelled the Gateway project some ten years ago. It's more that NJ that needs access to Manhattan -- not the other way around.
11
@George If it becomes too difficult to reach Manhattan, businesses will consider moving to NJ or elsewhere. The bridge is important to NY.
6
Why did it take 100+ years to get this rule changed?
6
Meanwhile $1.5 trillion is spent on the F-35 boondoggle. The US certainly has its priorities in order. Corporate welfare always trumps infrastructure.
I simply cannot imagine a crew banging on the bridge with hammers over here. It would not be tolerated for a week.
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@Plennie Wingo
As they say, follow the money. The F35 is built in districts that are heavily red and depend on the federal government for jobs. The F35 is like a lot of military spending, it is pork barrel to create jobs for places that if it weren't for that spending, would be another wasteland. Close a military base in NJ (Fort Monmouth), and it becomes housing and businesses, close a base down south and the surrounding area becomes abandoned.
9
@Plennie Wingo
Last I checked, Switzerland was also considering the F35 for its air defense even though would pay more per plane than partner nations.
Sometimes things cost what they cost and there is no good alternative. The Harriers are close to obsolete and there iss no other viable plane in existence for the several navies that depend on them. Other land-based fighter-bombers are nearing the end of their service life and not especially survivable in many scenarios.
In the case of this rail bridge, there is a good alternative to a new bridge - keep using the same bridge but minimize the pain of train delays. There is no future unknown adversary to plan for or an international market to consider when evaluating a rail bridge. A cost-benefit analysis likely shows that the old bridge is a better value (see my post on the topic).
We can tolerate using hammers over here. What we do not like is spending billions of dollars of public money to replace a bridge that is still considered safe and still works.
Not that it's that important but the bridge falls in the boundaries of the town of Kearny which is not mentioned. It borders Secaucus where a major train hub is located. Kearny kids have make the trek along these tracks and across this bridge for decades to reach Laurel Hill (Snake Hill) where an anomalous rock formation juts out from the meadows right next to the Turnpike.
7
The area in question, metropolitan NY and NJ, are the economic engine of this country. As such we pay more in taxes than any other area. It can only be a net benefit to the nation to make this area more productive and efficient by improving transportation. Maybe we can keep our tax dollars for a few months to pay for it, since the Federal Government under trump doesn't want to invest in the future. The taker states would have to tighten their belts for a while, but in the end more money will flow to them from this area than already does and that should make up for it.
22
This issue, like many in NYC transit, refuses to look at the bigger picture: These events have a ripple effect on transit along the entire East Coast.
And yet, we see those in power refusing, time and time again to provide construction guarantees or backstop funding to change the picture.
In all, it is a stark example of Failure Of Leadership.
25
This is more than a local issue. Amtrak's fares on the Northeast Corridor, which is basically Richmond to Boston, subsidizes Amtrak's fares across the country on money losing routes. Disruption of service on the Northeast Corridor will likely force Amtrak to raise fares on those other routes which could lead to a fall off of ridership and to Amtrak's demise and the loss of all inter-city rail service.
21
Trump is from this area. He grew up in New York but puts politics before anything else.
When Amazon pulled out of its Long Island City deal. Another president who grew up in Queens might have called a meeting at the White House to try to help his home borough. Trump was not involved at all. Politics before loyalty.
The new Lincoln Tunnels projects were actually started under the previous administration but were stopped by a Trump ally, Chris Christie, as one of his first acts as Governor of New Jersey.
Ray LaHood, the then Transportation Secretary actually begged Christie to take the federal funding and keep the project going. The tunnels would have been completed or close to it by now.
Funding for the project was recently included by the Congress and Senate in one of Trumps first budgets but he had it taken out.
A New Yorker president vetoing funding for New York infrastructure improvements that are desperately needed is un-New York and un-American.
These are two examples of contemporary American politics in the Chris Christie and Donald Trump era.
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@Thomas
Contemporary GOP politics.
12
@Thomas
He was a New Yorker who had little need to worry about that infrastructure...when you can rely on limos or helicopters and the like (not unique to him, it must be said) the "little" problems like rat infested subways or stuck bridges really doesn't count for much.
4
When a country can’t invest in its future, its decline is assured.
This is a bipartisan failure, and its a failure we all own.
America can’t seem to get big things done anymore. While China is building new high speed rail, new freight lines, new ports, and new airports, we spend all our money blowing things up in the Middle East, claiming we can’t “afford” health care, education, or infrastructure.
All we are good at is blowing things up.
The sun sets on the American empire.
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@Objectively Subjective
Exactly correct. Our solution to a bridge that gets stuck is to stop opening it. Next up: don't fill potholes, just close the road. Problem solved!
10
Nope. Not bipartisan. This is all on republicans.
8
@Objectively Subjective
The big things we do get done cost too much, so we do not get value for our money. Paris and London have built extensions to their commuter rail and subway systems for much less per mile than our Second Avenue subway. The F-35 could have been designed to cost much less, but it (like much military spending) is partly a make-work project to spread patronage around and buy support for the military budget as a whole.
We spend way more per person on health care than any other country, so here, too, we do not get value but rather make-work and make-dividends projects. This sort of corruption has become the American way. We call it free enterprise.
1
Maybe it's time to go out to bid on the State commitment of $600 million? Waiting for the man child president is not an option because it's not going to happen. Partial construction is better than waiting. The same goes for Gateway. The petty president will never fund projects in a State that didn't vote for him.
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@Abdrew
What you thinking of getting for the $600M?
One would have to be very careful how this was done to avoid wasting money and creating a boondoggle ending up with engineering plans that would later have to be redone or ending up with a partially completed bridge that would be derided as the unfinished bridge to nowhere or a much smaller bridge that might be worse than useless.
A partially constructed bridge or tunnel doesn't have a lot of utility.
6
RE: "Despite Amtrak’s ownership of the existing tunnels and the Portal Bridge, federal officials have repeatedly described Gateway as a local project that should be funded locally."
Never forget the point of the Trump administration is to see people suffer.
“He's not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.”
More than 450 trains carrying about 200,000 passengers cross it every weekday. That's a lot of people who can be made to suffer for the sheer pleasure of doing so.
34
One of Trump's few good ideas was to fix up our country's infrastructure. What happened? Government was instituted to make our lives better, and is the only means by which the community can do big projects. It's not supposed to be a game of Republicans or Democrats winning or losing.
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@semaj II
What happened, you ask? Well, it wasn't his idea - it was just him running his mouth (again). And, secondly, he is incapable of following through on anything. He has an attention span of a Mayfly - except for perceived slights, which he remembers, like an elephant.
14
@semaj II There was no substance behind Trump's campaign talk of rebuilding our infrastructure. It was just empty blather.
13
@L
Exactly correct. Just like his great healthcare plan that was going to replace the ACA on day 1.
11