KEARNY, New Jersey (WABC) — Amtrak and New Jersey Transit officials are giving an update on the Portal Bridge construction that has caused headaches for commuters this week.
Some trains have been rerouted to Hoboken, causing many to find other ways into Manhattan.
Officials say the new Portal Bridge construction is on schedule.
“We’re about 25% complete of the cut over, progress. The primary track, when complete, will be headed westbound or from New York towards Newark,” Amtrak Assistant Vice President Major Programs Bridges, Jason Hoover, said.
Officials explained the extensive checklist required to transfer service from the 116-year-old bridge to the new structure.
“New Jersey transit is doing electric traction work, track work, and communication and signals work, all in preparation for the cut-overs,” Acting Chief, Construction & Project Management with NJ Transit, Chrissa Roessner, said.
“We are working on transitioning our infrastructure to a world-class riding experience. And that’s a primary objective of this,” Amtrak Vice President of Infrastructure Project Delivery, Warren LeBeau, said.
Crews are working two shifts a day to make sure things run smoothly.
The adjustments to service and schedules still have some riders stressed about the next few weeks of commuting.
This is the biggest and most important rail project in the region, which is now 91 percent complete.
Trains are expected to run westbound over the new Portal Bridge soon, which officials call a major milestone.
“You see the folks up there in the bucket trucks. They’re adjusting the category system. That’s the electric traction system that powers the trains. So those wires are in place. But now we’re doing the fine-tunes and tweaks to get them ready to actually run the trains,” Hoover said.
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