NJ Transit awards contract to replace major commuter bottleneck

NJ Transit awarded $87.7 million worth of contracts this week to advanced replacement of the Portal Bridge (Portal Bridge page on Wikipedia). The two-track bridge, which carries Amtrak's Northeast Corridor tracks into New York Penn Station, will be replaced with a stationary $1.7 billion five-track structure that will serve the existing tunnels beneath the Hudson as well as the new planned tunnel under the Hudson. The new bridge will be high enough to allow Hackensack River ship traffic to pass underneath – ending the routine disruptions to train service. It is scheduled to be completed by 2017, in concert with the new Hudson tunnel. Amtrak's trains carry 30,000 passengers per work day over the bridge.