The new rules, effective March 14, allow the bridge to remain closed between 5 and 10 a.m., and 3 and 8 p.m., according to U.S. Sen Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who announced the changes at a press conference in Secaucus last week, Bloomberg reports.
Menendez, other elected officials, and the main rail users of the bridge had requested the change in response to delays caused by failures with the mechanism of the 111-year-old bridge over the Hackensack River [see “New Jersey officials ask Coast Guard for relief from rail bridge problems,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 5, 2018, and “Amtrak, NJ Transit ask for limits on Portal Bridge opening,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 12, 2018]. The bridge sometimes is unable to lock back into place after being opened.
In one of the most recent major issues involving the bridge, trains were unable to cross for about 90 minutes in October 2018, reportedly delaying 164 trains and about 80,000 passengers.
A replacement for the bridge has been designed, but full funding has not yet been identified for the estimated $1.5 billion project.
