What are the Portal Bridge’s current limitations?
At present, the 961-foot span has only 23 feet of clearance between mean high water (MHW) and the lowest steel elevation of the bridge. As a result, bridge openings are required to allow most marine vessels navigating the Hackensack River to pass through. The lengthy amount of time that is required to open and close the bridge for marine traffic interferes with rail operations. Also, frequent bridge openings increase the likelihood of mechanical malfunctions, which have caused the bridge to remain in the open position for inordinately long periods of time, causing system-wide delays in train service.
At present, the total bridge length is 960 feet with a swing span length of 300 feet, and has only 23 feet of clearance between mean high water (MHW) and the lowest steel elevation of the bridge. As a result, bridge openings are required to allow most marine vessels navigating the Hackensack River to pass through. The lengthy amount of time that is required to open and close the bridge for marine traffic interferes with both rail and marine operations. Also, frequent bridge openings increase the likelihood of mechanical malfunctions, which have caused the bridge to remain in the open position for inordinately long periods of time, causing system-wide delays in train service.
