Kearny, NJ -- Today, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) joined President Joe Biden, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation in Kearny, NJ, to highlight the Portal North Bridge.
"The Portal North Bridge is an instrumental part of the larger Gateway Project, which is the most crucial infrastructure project in the nation. I'm thrilled to be here for today's event and to see the incredible support for this project from President Joe Biden, Governor Phil Murphy, and my Congressional colleagues," said Rep. Sherrill. "I've fought tooth and nail to ensure this project moves forward alongside many of the federal and state officials here this afternoon. Today, we're closer than ever to delivering this badly needed investment to the people of New Jersey and the entire nation."
"First, the infrastructure bill. It's about rebuilding the arteries of America. And the Portal Bridge project is showing why investments like this are so important," said President Biden. "When the Portal Bridge was built, it was state of the art — and it really was, but 110 years ago. Today, it's been called something different: a ‘chokepoint,' a ‘bottleneck,' an ‘Achilles heel' of the Northeast Corridor. Since the Portal Bridge was built, it has become the busiest rail span in the entire Western Hemisphere. Let me say that again: It's the busiest — busiest rail span in the entire Western Hemisphere. At peak usage, 450 trains pass over it every day; 200,000 Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passengers."
"Today is a great day for New Jersey and the entirety of the Northeast Corridor," said Governor Murphy. "This momentous groundbreaking is the culmination of years of hard work, planning, and relentless lobbying undertaken by our Administration, our federal delegation, and so many dedicated partners across government. The Portal North Bridge is the beginning of the largest critical infrastructure project in our nation, and with President Biden's leadership, we are embarking on the path to completion of the Gateway Program. I am honored to have President Biden here today for this historic event and I look forward to continuing our work with his Administration on rebuilding our regional infrastructure to serve New Jersey residents and commuters."
The Portal North Bridge is a central component of the larger Gateway Project, which will improve and strengthen the Northeast Rail Corridor, the nation's busiest and most important transit hub. The current 111-year-old Portal North swing bridge often fails to close properly, which has led to extensive delays.
Today's event follows the October 12th announcement from the New Jersey Transit Board that the $1.6 billion contract to replace the Portal Bridge had been officially approved. The remaining components of the Gateway Project, including renewal of the Hudson River tunnel system, are also on track to move forward with significant funding for completion of the project included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill currently being considered by Congress.
A shutdown of the tunnel could cost the US economy $16 billion over 4 years. The Gateway Project would modernize and improve the Northeast Corridor system and minimize the risk of a potentially catastrophic failure that would impact the entire country. Amtrak also estimates that Gateway will produce benefits of between $20 billion and $50 billion over 30 years.
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