Trump Raises New Hurdle to Fixing Decrepit New York-Area Rail Bridge
- Portal Bridge plans filed too close to deadline, agency says
- N.J. lined up to borrow $600 million but needs federal grant
Photographer: Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg
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President Donald Trump’s administration again has set back the $1.6 billion replacement of a decrepit New York City-area rail bridge whose mechanical failures hinder train service throughout the Northeast.
About 450 trains a day, including those on Manhattan commuter lines and Amtrak’s high-speed Acela between Boston and Washington, rely on the century-old Portal Bridge, which swings to accommodate boats on the Hackensack River in New Jersey’s Meadowlands. When it fails to lock, as it did most recently in March and January, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuter trains are left idling.