Portal Bridge — Local services in Kearny

This ancient bridge has served its time and is in absolutely desperate need of replacement. It is responsible for countless hours of delays to both NJ Transit and Amtrak trains. A train has to cross this bridge, on average, every two minutes. It should be left in position as much as possible, and NEVER swung out of position to allow boats to pass during the busiest commuting times; very frequently when it is swung back into position the tracks don't line up, the signals aren't working etc etc etc and trains get held up in both directions while workers put this antique back into service once again. The replacement bridge is finally under construction, but the first track won't be operable until at least 11/26; no idea how we're going to make...

The Portal Bridge over the New Jersey Hackensack River was originally opened in 1910. It is a two-track movable swing-span railroad bridge, that is said to be 'the busiest train span in the Western Hemisphere'.

Unfortunately the bridge's lowest beams are just 23 feet above the surface of the Hackensack River at high tide and, as a result, the bridge often has to be opened to allow commercial boats to pass underneath it, causing transport delays all-around.

STOP PRESS 05-Nov-21: good news as New Jersey Transit selects a Queens-based joint venture of Skanska & Traylor Bros to replace the aging Portal Swing Bridge and provide a new crossing solution to traverse the...

This 961 foot long dual rail bridge over the Hackensack River between Newark and Secaucus was opened to traffic in 1910 - and was built to last 100 years! Sadly, we have gone past the design life of this rusting steel, masonry, and wood (!) swing bridge and NJ Transit and Amtrak riders face the real, albeit small, risk of falling in the river each time their train rattles over it on the way to or from the next poorly maintained choke-point - the Cross-Hudson Tubes! Watch out for creosote fueled wood fires sparked by the 13kV overhead electrical lines! If you're lucky you can catch a glimpse of the sludge barge...