Crews have begun work to finish the Portal North Bridge. NJ Transit riders are expecting five weeks of disruptions.
There’s no easy way around it—the 116-year-old Portal Bridge needs replacing. As necessary as it may be, for 200,000 NJ Transit and Amtrak riders, weeks of obstacles are still a burden to their daily commutes.
The final phase—the cutover—began on October 11. It includes moving wiring and heavy equipment onto the new Portal North Bridge, according to the New York Times. With the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, most weekday commuters will see what the next five weeks of their commute will look like starting tomorrow.
What NJ Transit Commuters Should Expect
There are several things to brace for over the next several weeks.
Weekday NJ Transit trains between Newark and Secaucus will be cut roughly in half. Penn Station trips are diverted through Hoboken. On weekdays, Morris & Essex, Gladstone Branch, and Montclair-Boonton riders stop at Hoboken—riders can take the ferry, the PATH to 33rd Street, or a free transfer to the 126 bus to complete the trip into New York. Weekend trains will still go to Penn Station.
Some North Jersey Coast Line riders will need to transfer to buses while work on a bridge in Brielle is completed. Bus service will replace train service on some sections of the Port Jervis and Raritan Valley lines.
Amtrak Acela, Northeast Regional, and Keystone line service is reduced during construction.
NJ Transit is urging riders to work from home when possible to reduce congestion while the work is underway.
The good news: this is the last big cutover on Portal Bridge North. Once completed, riders are expected to be off the 116-year-old bridge and onto the new one. Regular service is poised to return on November 15.
Need to know more about your NJ Transit commute over the next five weeks? You can check your line’s schedule on the NJ Transit website.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
