NJ Transit seeks federal funds for bridge

Written by jrood

February 14, 2001 NJ Transit has applied for $885 million in new federal funding to pay for renewal and replacement of aging components of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Trenton, N.J., and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, the Times Herald-Record reports.

The application, made with
Amtrak’s blessing, would support the replacement of the Portal Bridge that
carries the Northeast Corridor across the Hackensack River before the rail line
enters the tunnel beneath the Hudson leading to Penn Station.

The application also seeks
to upgrade the line’s power supply and signal system.

If the two agencies
successfully win funding from the new High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail
Program, the grant will boost their ongoing effort to replace the 100-year-old
swing bridge – a $1.8-billion project. The bridge, a notorious source of delays
leading to the country’s busiest train station, often gets stuck in an open
position and occasionally catches fire.

"Portal Bridge’s
replacement will expand capacity and provide for more efficient rail
operations," said Stephen Gardner, an Amtrak vice president.

NJ Transit has already
committed $776 million toward the project and moved it into final design in an
aggressive timetable designed to complement its construction of a new commuter
rail tunnel to an expanded Penn Station.

The new five-track bridge
will serve both the old and new tunnels and will be stationary and high enough
to allow ships to pass underneath. Work began on the new tunnel last year. Both
it and the new bridge are scheduled for completion in 2017.

NJ Transit now carries
about 150,000 customers across the Portal Bridge every day, versus Amtrak’s 30,000.

The new tunnel will double
capacity, as well as end transfers at Secaucus Junction for commuters from Orange
and Rockland counties in New York and those from North Jersey.

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