All Things Portal Bridge: Amtrak and NJT Status and Replacement Discussion

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 4:43 am
The latter, he said, could impact the track alignment at the old Portal Bridge and the structures that support the overhead wires that power the trains, which have led to work stoppages on the new bridge.
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Did the wire problems this early morning occur because of this?

BTG: This topic needs to be added to the ongoing Portal Bridge discussion at the NYC Areawide
Rail Forum - which is at the very top of the page as a sticky...MACTRAXX

How did everyone miss this including this poster. Portal bridge stuck open several hours again this morning. No links left as far as I could find.

Well, they are making good progress. Many girders already placed across the supports, foundation already poured on the non-elevated section, and progress continues with every passing day.

They've got a time-lapse video posted recently of the past year of progress (December 22-December 23) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zBoFDkftiE

Can see both live and historical construction site footage at https://www.njtransit.com/portal

Now understand why this project so expensive. That construction bridge is not cheap with all the pilings needed. Then the crane bridges probably have to have a higher load rating than the new bridge will ever experience. Then can the construction bridging be use for demo of the present swing bridge? Have no idea. Then removal of all the construction bridges will have to be accomplished.

IMO the costs of all the temporary construction items will cost much more than the actual new bridge permanent materials Now how much of those construction items can be used for the new Portal south bridge have no idea,

I don't see how the temporary piers can be used for demolition. It's simply too far away and the cranes would have to work over the newly-built ROW?

The pilings are that massive because of currents, the swamp, and presumably a design requirement to withstand a potential collision from a barge below.

Is the future South Portal bridge going to follow the footprint of the present bridge once the swing bridge is removed?

west point wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 8:25 pm Is the future South Portal bridge going to follow the footprint of the present bridge once the swing bridge is removed?

Pretty sure none of that has been decided yet.

Video of latest progress

https://www.facebook.com/paulbo/posts/p ... kNSVwK5ckl

Commuting to work the other day, I noticed that there is actually some limited construction happening on the east side of the tracks as well, close to the Kearny Connection.

Seems like a very limited widening of the ROW or perhaps just storm resiliency/soil stabilization work for the main corridor.

On time, on budget: NorthJersey.com

Portal Bridge rail replacement project is 50% done, on time and on budget, despite hurdles

KEARNY — Getting to the 50% completion mark on the new $2.3 billion Portal North Bridge — and getting there on time and on budget — required overcoming myriad challenges and, for some, debating who has accrued the most gray hairs.

“Tony, I have the most gray hair, you’re getting a few, and I hate to tell you, Kris, in another five, six years we’ll do a before-and-after picture, but thanks so much for stepping up,” joked Kevin Corbett, CEO and president of NJ Transit, the agency leading construction of the new rail bridge that spans the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus.

It will be a taller, fixed-span replacement for the 114-year-old swing span that has been prone to getting stuck in recent years, causing major delays to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains headed in and out of Manhattan.
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Arches to be floated in: NJ.com

Commuters will see 3 huge arches for the new Portal Bridge floating up the river this winter

If the news wasn’t enough that the $2 billion Portal Bridge North project to replace the cranky 114-year-old bridge that carries the busy Northeast Corridor rail line over the Hackensack River in Kearny is 50% finished, commuters will see a real show this winter, officials said.

That’s when the three pre-assembled arch bridges that will make up the Portal North Bridge, will be floated on barges to the construction site. There they’ll be attached to the two long, black approach bridges that have been rising several stories in the air on both sides of the river, since construction started two years ago.
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Oh really now? That's interesting. That means they started building the arches from the get-go.

I wish we did more prefab construction in this country. Projects that take years could be completed in months.