Images | New arch arrives for Skanska’s $1.6bn Portal North Bridge

A joint venture between Skanska USA and Traylor Bros is building the new, two-track, fixed span bridge, which replaces the current century-old Portal Bridge, for NJ Transit and Amtrak.

The existing bridge entered service in November 1910 and carries more than 450 daily Amtrak and NJ Transit trains and 200,000 daily passengers over the Hackensack River.

The first of three arches is delivered and installed on Skanska USA/Traylor Bros’ Portal North Bridge project (Image: Amtrak)

But the two-track, moveable span is a cause of delays and bottlenecks, particularly when the it malfunctions during opening and closing for maritime traffic.

The new fixed span bridge will rise more than 50 feet over the river and, spanning nearly 2.5 miles of the Northeast Corridor, and will not need to open and close for river traffic.

The first of three arches is delivered and installed on Skanska USA/Traylor Bros’ Portal North Bridge project (Image: Amtrak)

Work on the new bridge, which started in 2022, is currently around 75% complete.

Amtrak vice president infrastructure project delivery Jaidev Sankar joined NJ Transit president and CEO Kevin Corbett, the Federal Transit Administration, Skanska, and other partners on site for the arch delivery in November 2024.

The first of three arches is delivered and installed on Skanska USA/Traylor Bros’ Portal North Bridge project (Image: Amtrak)