Drivers who use the New Jersey Turnpike between Newark and New York City are getting a new bridge. Work is underway to replace the 70-year-old Newark Bay Bridge, which carries about 95,000 cars and trucks a day.
Officials broke ground on the replacement Thursday in Bayonne, a report said. “After 70 years of service, the bridge is in dire need of replacement,” Governor Mikie Sherrill said at the ceremony. The Turnpike Authority calls it the most expensive single project in its history, at more than $6.7 billion, paid for with toll revenue. Completion is targeted for 2031, according to the authority’s project page.
What drivers get
The new bridge will be a cable-stayed span built just north of the existing one, with two lanes in each direction and full shoulders. The current bridge, also known as the Casciano Memorial Bridge, has no dependable shoulders, so breakdowns and repairs routinely close lanes. The existing bridge stays open while the new one is built, and officials say commuters should see no disruption. Once the new span opens, the old bridge will be dismantled.
What it costs
The bridge opened in 1956 and cost about $40 million to build, a little shy of $500 million in today’s dollars, Turnpike Authority executive director Kris Kolluri said. The replacement will be funded by tolls. Turnpike tolls have risen 3% a year since 2020. “We are going to make sure that we’re not kicking the can down the road on anything,” Sherrill said.
What happens next
Work in the water has already begun, and temporary construction trestles are expected to be finished by the end of the year, Kolluri said. The authority expects to award the main construction contract in March.
JBizNews Desk | Bayonne, New Jersey
© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.
