Portal North Bridge Project

In partnership with NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak continues to advance project construction and has achieved one-third completion this summer.

Quick Facts: Portal North Bridge

Project Status

In Construction (32% completion as of October 2023)

Customer Benefits

  • Eliminate movable span
  • Remove conflicts with maritime traffic
  • Improve reliability, safety
  • Increase train speeds
  • Modest capacity increase

Estimated Construction Completion

2027

Latest Milestone

The first of several bridge piers — the bridge superstructure — emerged from the Meadowlands; delivery of the first structural steel.

Upcoming Milestones

Completion of all four construction access platforms.

Project Partners

Amtrak, NJ Transit, Gateway Development Commission (GDC), U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

Funding Sources

Amtrak, U.S. DOT FTA Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program, New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund, and New Jersey Turnpike Authority

NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak are replacing the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a higher bridge that will not have to open and close for river traffic.

The existing, century-old Portal Bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad and entered revenue service in November 1910. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bridge carried more than 450 daily Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains and 200,000 daily passengers over the Hackensack River — a critical link in the congested territory between Newark, NJ and New York - Penn Station. The two-track, moveable span is a major bottleneck and source of delay, particularly when the aging bridge malfunctions during opening and closing for maritime traffic.

A two-track replacement bridge — Portal North — will replace this outdated relic with a modern, high-level fixed span that does not open or close, eliminating the movable components and risk of malfunction. The new bridge will rise more than 50-feet over the river and, including the approaches, span nearly 2.5 miles of the Northeast Corridor. Portal North Bridge is an important element of the broader Gateway Program to double rail capacity between Newark and New York.

In partnership with NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak continues to advance project construction and has achieved 25% completion this summer. Watch our August 2023 Portal North Bridge video update to learn more about the project’s progress.