Plans are moving ahead for the $6.2 billion project to replace the Newark Bay Bridge in the US. The project is being planned by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA). This forms part of the wider $10.7 billion Turnpike Extension Improvements Program to upgrade the New Jersey Turnpike for the 13km stretch between Newark and Jersey City. It will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of New Jersey.
The existing Newark Bay Bridge links Interchanges 14 in Newark and 14A in Bayonne and Jersey City and has the official name Vincent R Casciano Memorial Bridge. The new twin spans will provide drivers with more lanes, reducing congestion and journey times, with construction due to commence in 2026. The bridge replacement project has passed environmental studies and has been approved by the US Coast Guard, following a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), despite opposition from some local residents.
The new, parallel cable‑stayed bridges will replace the existing arched truss span structure, which opened in 1956 and is now fast approaching the end of its service life. The 2.9km bridge has a central span of 387m and offers a clearance of 41m but is showing signs of its age and will need to be replaced to ensure safety is maintained for drivers.
The new crossing will provide four lanes in either direction, compared with two lanes in either direction at present. The design of the new, twin cable-stayed structures has been limited by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements ensuring that the height will not pose a potential hazard, given the proximity to the busy Newark Airport. Parsons Corporation will lead the design work, with the new parallel bridges featuring a design life of 150 years.
The schedule calls for the first of the new bridges to be ready in 2031, with traffic then being directed over it while the old bridge is demolished and removed. The second parallel bridge would then be erected and completed by 2037. The entire Turnpike Extension Improvements Program, with additional lanes and capacity for the entire route, would then be completed by 2040.
However, new lanes will not be added beyond Exit 14C, near the Holland Tunnel, to prevent traffic congestion in Jersey City. This is because more than one-third of the traffic using the route exits at 14A into Bayonne.
The new twin bridges will cut traffic congestion at East Ward in Newark as well as at Greenville in Jersey City. The project is also expected to boost safety for drivers, cutting crashes.
The environmental aspect of the project is being maximised and sound barriers will be erected to minimise noise disturbance while new stormwater management technology will further minimise the impact.
The cost of the project will funded by toll revenue. In addition, the NJTA provides $500 million/year to New Jersey’s public transit and $89 million/year to the Gateway Tunnel project.
