Portal Bridge cutover will lead to "reliable, more convenient" commutes. Here's how the process works.
After years of construction, work is now under way to connect the new Portal Bridge in New Jersey to the Northeast Corridor.
The hope is to make that commute a little easier.
What the cutover process entails
With just one track now open on the 116-year-old Portal Bridge, the new one, known as the Portal North Bridge, is nearly ready to go. The month-long cutover process to connect the new bridge to the existing infrastructure began last week.
"We're about 25% complete of the cutover progress," Amtrak's Jason Hoover said.
"We have a four-week, high-intensity construction operation going on. Operations are around the clock, two shifts per day," added Chrissa Roessner, of NJ Transit Construction & Project Management.
The process involves adding 2.4 miles of new track and overhead wires and tying all that into the Northeast Corridor, all while one track on the old bridge is still active.
Transit officials say the current commuting pain will be worth it
The cutover process also means fewer, slower, and more crowded trains, along the most active rail line in the Western Hemisphere.
"Very frustrating, because the prices are going up and there's always issues with NJ Transit," said Maya Poplyansky, of Short Hills, New Jersey.
But officials say the pain will be worth it.
"The showpiece here is, obviously, this new three-span Portal North Bridge, which is going to be a high-level fixed bridge. So it's not going to require opening to accommodate marine traffic," NJ Transit's Bill Brooks said. "So that's going to be more reliable, more convenient."
If all goes well, the eastbound trains will be headed to New York on the old bridge on March 15, while the westbound trains will be headed to Newark on the new one.
Later this fall, Amtrak and NJ Transit will tie the second track on the new bridge into the system. Next year, the old bridge will be demolished.
