New New York-Newark, New Jersey bridge connection

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has revealed that a Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan worth US$474 million will help pay for construction of the replacement for the current Goethals Bridge that connects Elizabeth, New Jersey with Staten Island, New York.

The 2422 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which operates the bridge, estimates that more than $33 billion in regional goods passes across the bridge each year. An average of 74,000 vehicles/day cross the bridge in both directions during the working week. But built in 1928 and now part of Interstate 278, its outdated design has no shoulders and narrow lanes, makes traffic flow difficult in emergencies.

A new cable-stayed bridge, with six much wider travel lanes, an outer shoulder and an inner shoulder on each roadway, will replace the existing bridge. The new bridge will also offer a sidewalk and bikeway along the northern edge of the New Jersey bound roadway and enough space between the eastbound and westbound roadway decks to accommodate possible transit service in the future.

The Goethals Bridge provides crucial access to Newark Airport from New York City and provides a connection between the New Jersey Turnpike, Routes 1 & 9 and other New Jersey highways, the Staten Island Expressway (I-278), and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The loan will go toward the $1.5 billion total cost of the project. The new bridge is being constructed through a private, long-term development contract with NYNJ Link, a consortium of 2378 Macquarie Infrastructure Real Assets and 1313 Kiewit Construction, which will receive the loan and design, build, finance and maintain the new bridge. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will maintain responsibility for setting and collecting tolls.