Conrail Celebrates Point-No-Point Bridge Replacement
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
(Conrail Photograph)
KEARNY, N.J. – On November 17, Conrail held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new Point-No-Point Bridge that traverses the Passaic River.
Connecting freight rail operations, the previous bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1901. Members of the United Steel Workers and new Jersey Laborers union and Conrail worked for three years to replace the bridge. The Point-No-Point Bridge is a movable single leaf bascule bridge that can open and close in 10 minutes. According to the report, railroad management, state and federal officials, and leaders from contractor firms celebrated the bridge construction.
Construction on the bridge began in July 2022 with a project cost of more than $200 million. Along with Conrail’s funding, more than $78 million in grants through the New Jersey Department of Transportation Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP) and the FRA’s CRISI program went toward the construction.
Conrail President and COO Brian Gorton said, “With two-thirds of all freight rail traffic in North Jersey crossing this span, the Point-No-Point Bridge is a critical link in our country’s supply chain. . . This new bridge will provide the continued reliability and efficiency needed to maintain Conrail’s quality service levels and serve local businesses, regional supply chains and the Port of New York and New Jersey.”
