The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is moving forward with plans to improve the trip for thousands of rail commuters.
The agency's commissioners on Thursday authorized more than $300 million toward a new Portal North Bridge. The 106-year-old span over the Hackensack River handles 450 New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains and more than 200,000 passengers daily. Frequent mechanical problems interrupt train service on the busy Northeast Corridor.
The money would fund debt service for a portion of the local share of the estimated $1.5 billion cost of replacing the bridge.
The bridge replacement is a key component of the Gateway Program to build a new rail network between New Jersey and New York City.
