New York Construction Report staff writer
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is urging the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to advance $6.7 billion for the Newark Bay Bridge Program, a complete rebuild of the bridge with just two lanes in each direction. The project scales back a plan for an eight-lane crossing.
“This $6.7 billion investment will be the largest single project the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has ever advanced,” Sherrill said in a statement. “It involves the immediate construction of a four-lane bridge with shoulders and improvements.
“I am also recommending that the Turnpike Board continue to advance design and permitting work on the roadway structures leading to the Holland Tunnel for safety improvements only, without expanding capacity.”
According to the governor, all work on the project will require Project Labor Agreements to “guarantee that the work meets the utmost standards of safety and quality with a highly-skilled and diverse union workforce.”
His recommendation is a shift from a prior $10.7 billion plan for the Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension, which included two four-lane spans. Last week, 65 community organizations signed a letter urging the governor to “reexamine and change” the plan.
“This project will support approximately 19,000 jobs, including thousands of union construction jobs,” Sherrill said in her statement. “It will generate economic activity across the region and create opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses in our state. These are good-paying jobs that support families and local communities.
“The project will also allow traffic to shift off the aging existing bridge by 2031, consistent with National Transportation Safety Board concerns.”
In a joint statement, Jersey City Mayor James Solomon and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka praised the decision. “The Governor’s announcement is a major step in the direction of smart transportation policy that upgrades aging infrastructure, while addressing the needs of impacted communities,” the statement read. “This win for our community is a testament to the hard work of activists who built a coalition across the region … Gov. Sherrill made the right choice for the future of our cities, the environment, and the economic future of New Jersey.”
