Portal Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Portal Bridge is a rail bridge
over the Hackensack River
just west of Secaucus Junction
in northeastern New Jersey
, USA. The two-track, moveable swing-span between the towns of Kearny
and Secaucus is owned and operated by Amtrak
. It originally was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad
and opened in 1910 in conjunction with service to the newly constructed Pennsylvania Station
in New York City
. The 100-year-old bridge is obsolete, limiting train speeds, and is so low that it often has to be opened to allow commercial boats to pass underneath, causing more delays. Work to replace the bridge is underway.
is 961 ft (293 m) long and sits on a turntable and requires millions of dollars of yearly maintenance. Some of the bridge machinery was updated in 1931. Minor repairs were made in the 1970s, and major repairs to mechanical and electrical equipment were done in the 1990s.
As of 2011, Amtrak operated some 103 scheduled trains in both directions over this segment of the Northeast Corridor
between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station. Four of NJ Transit’s rail lines (Northeast Corridor Line
, North Jersey Coast Line
, Morris and Essex Lines, Montclair-Boonton Line
) with 393 trains each weekday in both directions use the bridge.
According to New Jersey Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles, the bridge is considered a "chokepoint" which reduces the potential speed and capacity of the line. The bridge's lowest beams are just 23 ft (7 m) above the surface of the river, necessitating that the bridge be opened almost daily for commercial boat traffic, and causing considerable train delays. Drawbridge schedules allow for Portal Draw to be exempt for opening weekdays 6 am to 10 am, and 4 pm to 8 pm (during peak commuter travel periods over the bridge). The bridge opens on signal at other times.
in November 1996. Amtrak
's Fast Mail Train No. 12, with twelve passenger and mail coaches pulled by two locomotives on a Washington-to-Boston run with 88 passengers and 20 crew members, derailed as it reached the bridge. It sideswiped an oncoming passenger train, but continued across the bridge, prevented from plunging through the trestles into the river by guide rails that parallel the main tracks. Then its twin locomotives, a baggage car, and three passenger coaches plunged over an embankment. There were no deaths; thirty four people were hospitalized.
approved a $1.34 billion project to replace the Portal Bridge with two new bridges -- a three-track bridge to the north, and a two-track bridge to the south. The new bridges are scheduled to be completed in 2017, at which time the Portal Bridge will be dismantled. In 2009, New Jersey applied for $38.5 million in funding for the replacement from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
. On January 28 2010, the federal funds were released as a TIGER grant
. The funds will go toward final design for the new bridge.
Construction of the new bridge was scheduled to begin in 2010, with the complete bridge replacement to be complete by 2017. As of 2011, construction has not started due to lack of complete funding for the project. Amtrak
announced its intention to build a small segment of a high speed rail corridor, of which the bridge is part, called the Gateway Project
, estimated to cost $13.5 billion. In April 2011, Amtrak applied for federal funding of $570 million for construction, with New Jersey expected to commit $150 million.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
just west of Secaucus Junction
Secaucus Junction
The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station is a major commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey...
in northeastern New Jersey
Gateway Region
The Gateway Region is located in the northeastern part of State of New Jersey in the United States of America. The area encompasses Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Union and Middlesex counties...
, USA. The two-track, moveable swing-span between the towns of Kearny
Kearny
-People:*Philip Kearny , U.S. Army officer*Stephen W. Kearny , U.S. Army officer*Lawrence Kearny , U.S. Navy officer and second cousin of Stephen W...
and Secaucus is owned and operated by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
. It originally was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
and opened in 1910 in conjunction with service to the newly constructed Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The 100-year-old bridge is obsolete, limiting train speeds, and is so low that it often has to be opened to allow commercial boats to pass underneath, causing more delays. Work to replace the bridge is underway.
Operation
The center-bearing swing bridgeSwing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
is 961 ft (293 m) long and sits on a turntable and requires millions of dollars of yearly maintenance. Some of the bridge machinery was updated in 1931. Minor repairs were made in the 1970s, and major repairs to mechanical and electrical equipment were done in the 1990s.
As of 2011, Amtrak operated some 103 scheduled trains in both directions over this segment of the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station. Four of NJ Transit’s rail lines (Northeast Corridor Line
Northeast Corridor Line
The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail operation run by New Jersey Transit along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the Pennsylvania Railroad along the section between Trenton, New Jersey and New York Penn Station...
, North Jersey Coast Line
North Jersey Coast Line
The North Jersey Coast Line is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail service operating between New York Penn Station or Hoboken Terminal and Bay Head, New Jersey...
, Morris and Essex Lines, Montclair-Boonton Line
Montclair-Boonton Line
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Montclair Branch, which ran from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Street,...
) with 393 trains each weekday in both directions use the bridge.
According to New Jersey Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles, the bridge is considered a "chokepoint" which reduces the potential speed and capacity of the line. The bridge's lowest beams are just 23 ft (7 m) above the surface of the river, necessitating that the bridge be opened almost daily for commercial boat traffic, and causing considerable train delays. Drawbridge schedules allow for Portal Draw to be exempt for opening weekdays 6 am to 10 am, and 4 pm to 8 pm (during peak commuter travel periods over the bridge). The bridge opens on signal at other times.
Derailment
The bridge was site of a derailmentDerailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
in November 1996. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Fast Mail Train No. 12, with twelve passenger and mail coaches pulled by two locomotives on a Washington-to-Boston run with 88 passengers and 20 crew members, derailed as it reached the bridge. It sideswiped an oncoming passenger train, but continued across the bridge, prevented from plunging through the trestles into the river by guide rails that parallel the main tracks. Then its twin locomotives, a baggage car, and three passenger coaches plunged over an embankment. There were no deaths; thirty four people were hospitalized.
Replacement
In December 2008, the Federal Railroad AdministrationFederal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
approved a $1.34 billion project to replace the Portal Bridge with two new bridges -- a three-track bridge to the north, and a two-track bridge to the south. The new bridges are scheduled to be completed in 2017, at which time the Portal Bridge will be dismantled. In 2009, New Jersey applied for $38.5 million in funding for the replacement from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. On January 28 2010, the federal funds were released as a TIGER grant
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery is a supplementary discretionary grant program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009...
. The funds will go toward final design for the new bridge.
Construction of the new bridge was scheduled to begin in 2010, with the complete bridge replacement to be complete by 2017. As of 2011, construction has not started due to lack of complete funding for the project. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
announced its intention to build a small segment of a high speed rail corridor, of which the bridge is part, called the Gateway Project
Gateway Project
The Gateway Project is a proposed American rail expansion project to build a high-speed rail right-of-way and to alleviate the bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City...
, estimated to cost $13.5 billion. In April 2011, Amtrak applied for federal funding of $570 million for construction, with New Jersey expected to commit $150 million.
See also
- List of crossings of the Hackensack River
- List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey
External links
- "The Portal Bridge Link" - Enhancement project newsletter, January 2007
- NTSB Special Investigation Report regarding 1997 derailment
- Movable Railroad Bridges of New Jersey-photo catalog
- Portal Bridge photos and notes