Acela150 wrote:Portal Bridge failed today in the heat of the PM Rush Hour. Funding can't come soon enough for a replacement.
The bridge actually failed twice on Tuesday. Once immediately after the morning Rush Hour and once in the afternoon. I wonder whether it was the same boat going up the river and then later down the river.
east point wrote:After Portal north is built different sources say it will be either kept until Portal south is built and in service, until Portal south construction is started since Portal south is going in on same alignment as swing bridge (?), or immediately scrapped once Portal north is in service . Take your best guess ?
The current plans do not envision keeping the existing bridge in operation after the completion of Portal North. This is because there is no point in keeping the existing span given than there is no extra capacity east or west of it justifying 4 tracks over the river. The current plans are to move the steel span off-site, possibly for historical preservation and demolition of the central pier in order to provide a wider navigable channel in the river.
While it is possible that a decision "could" be made to preserve and rehab the existing span as a cost saving measure for the follow up phases of the Gateway Project, such a decision has
NOT been made and anything in regards to that is pure railfan speculation.