Crews Stay On Track

There is an article in today's Star Ledger about the bridge replacement on the NEC in Edison.

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/bas ... ledger?nmx

Pretty neat. Sounded like a cool event.

Neighbors and spectators from as far away as Jersey City watched the bridge replacement, many carrying cameras. One couple dragged lawn chairs to a nearby parking lot to watch.

Did the neighbors with cameras have permits?

Don't permits apply only when on NJT property?

Irish Chieftain wrote:Don't permits apply only when on NJT property?

That is technically correct.

It wasn't fun on Friday evening, when my NEC train going home was delayed for 15 minutes dealing with with other train traffic going across the bridge. Oh well, it could've been worse. But it sounds like it'll be all worth it in the end.

steemtrayn wrote:

Neighbors and spectators from as far away as Jersey City watched the bridge replacement, many carrying cameras. One couple dragged lawn chairs to a nearby parking lot to watch.

Did the neighbors with cameras have permits?

No they did not have permits. Soon after they took their pictures, about 10 men with black suits and dark sunglasses in two black vans came and told them to get in because they had won a contest.

None of those people have ever been seen again, and all of their houses have magically gone on sale overnight with everything cleared out of them.

(I have to much free time to think up stupid stories in my head)

AKelley728 wrote:It wasn't fun on Friday evening, when my NEC train going home was delayed for 15 minutes dealing with with other train traffic going across the bridge. Oh well, it could've been worse. But it sounds like it'll be all worth it in the end.

A mere fifteen minutes? Sounds almost miraculous. Not to mention that work of this scope getting done on the NEC is also a miracle in and of itself, what with the lack of funding towards Amtrak and all.

New Jersey DOT is paying for this project. Amtrak was compensated for their pain.

This is going to take a lot of pressure off the Wood Ave. / Thornall St. junction and make MetroPark access much, much better. When they fix the Wood Ave. intersection, it may cut as much as 10 minutes off the rush hour drive to/from MetroPark.

AKelley728 wrote:It wasn't fun on Friday evening, when my NEC train going home was delayed for 15 minutes dealing with with other train traffic going across the bridge. Oh well, it could've been worse. But it sounds like it'll be all worth it in the end.

Saw similar stuff going on with the eastbounds... nearly missed my connection to LIRR.

Irish Chieftain wrote:A mere fifteen minutes? Sounds almost miraculous. Not to mention that work of this scope getting done on the NEC is also a miracle in and of itself, what with the lack of funding towards Amtrak and all.

Well, I admit I was on the Clocker, so maybe we got priority. Yeah, I thought it was going to be alot longer. When the conductor made an annoucment about the delay, everyone thought she said there was a 'bridge strike' up ahead. Oh well, we were going again a few minutes later.

Olton Hall wrote:New Jersey DOT is paying for this project. Amtrak was compensated for their pain.

NJDOT giving in to Bush Administration pressure? That's utterly miserable. This is exactly what Bush and Mineta want.

Good for them getting that bridge replacement completed. As a periodic NEC traveler I had been watching those slide in segments move toward completion and I had wondered about their target date.