BAYONNE — Construction on the Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” project has been set back by two years and won’t be completed until mid-2019, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today.
The delay is due to “numerous challenges,” the Port Authority said, including: the harsh winter of 2014 to 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 steel reinforcement activities requiring additional repairs.
The $1.3 billion “Raise the Roadway” project, which began in May 2013, is designed to raise the navigational clearance under the crossing to 215 feet to allow larger, modern ships to travel under it. The project will also provide commuters with a modern roadway with 12-foot lanes and a 12-foot shared lane for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The project is under construction by the joint venture of Skanska Koch/Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (JV).
In a statement regarding the delay, Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said the “Raise the Roadway” project is “one of the most innovative and challenging projects” the bi-state agency has ever undertaken.
“Although a number of challenges have impacted the project’s timetable, we continue to monitor the Skanska JV’s construction progress and, together with Skanska JV, anticipate completion within the schedule announced today,” Foye said.
Currently, the construction on the “Raise the Roadway” project is almost 50 percent complete, with $380 million worth of construction in place, the Port Authority said. The agency said the setback will potentially result in an increase in total project costs of “approximately 15 percent.”
Just this May, construction on the bridge appeared to be on track for achieving navigational clearance for bigger ships within months of the Panama Canal expansion’s projected completion date of early 2016, NJ Advance Media reported.
Navigational clearance is now expected in late 2017, with the overall project completion slated for 2019, the Port Authority said today.
Reaction from Bayonne officials to news of the delay was immediate and angry.
“This project was sold to the residents as a benefit for the City by the prior administration. Instead, it has been an ongoing struggle with the Port Authority to try and protect the residents of Bayonne,” Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis said. “Today’s announcement is just the latest chapter of the saga we have endured.”
Davis said he remains “fully committed to doing all that we can for the residents most affected by this project.”
Meanwhile, First Ward City Councilman Tommy Cotter said the delay was “unacceptable” and that “the Port Authority essentially did a bait and switch on the residents by promising one thing and delivering another.”
City Council President Sharon Nadrowski said she is “troubled by the continued failure of the Port Authority to honor their commitments to the residents of Bayonne.”
The Port Authority did not immediately respond to city officials’ comments.
The “Raise the Roadway” project was previously delayed by six months, the Port Authority announced last September, but its overall completion date was still slated for 2017 at that time, NJ Advance Media reported.
Source: The Jersey Journal
Source: The Jersey Journal