ROADS/BRIDGES: Port Authority delays Bayonne Bridge project by 2 years, driving up construction costs

Oct. 2, 2015

A harsh winter and engineering complexities are postponing work on the Bayonne Bridge by two years.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is delaying the Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” project two years due to an inclement winter and general complexity of the construction process.

"Numerous challenges have necessitated the push-back of the construction schedule," read the Port Authority press release. "These factors include: the harsh winter of 2014-2015; changes in project staging to address community concerns and reduce construction impacts overnight; modifications to the existing steel arch to ensure safety and allow traffic to continue during construction; as well as complicated steel reinforcement activities that required additional repairs and modifications."

The project began in 2013 with a budget of $1.3 billion and expected completion of 2017. Construction involved lifting the bridge 64 ft to allow for the clearance of “post-Panamax” cargo ships.

The authority plans to continue the project with current contractors Skanska Koch and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (JV).

The Port Authority expects for the entire project to be completed in mid-2019, a delay that will cost an additional $195 million and is nearly 50% done, and $380 million into budget.

The northbound roadway foundations are 100 percent complete. The New York and New Jersey abutments are 95 percent complete and the installation of pier segments is 50 percent complete.

For the arch and structural steel work, steel fabrication is 90 percent complete and the New York and New Jersey towers are 85 percent complete, while the steel strengthening effort is 55 percent complete. 

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