As a civil engineer, I had the opportunity in 2025 to take a tour of ongoing Portal Bridge construction, replacing the existing 1930 two-track bridge over the Hackensack River with a new one that will eventually be paired to form four tracks and improve rail throughput to New York City. All of the photos on this page and its subpages are from that tour. Note that for simplicity, I am referencing Portal Bridge as a north-south crossing instead of southwest-northeast on these pages.


From the western walkway, which is planned to become a public recreational pier once construction is complete, the new bridge towers over the old. That's because the existing bridge is a drawbridge (a "swing span" that will pivot 90 degrees) while the new one will be fixed in place, so it needs to rise with enough clearance above the Hackensack River navigational channel, resulting in three tall arches. It will also need very long approaches because it is going over Meadowlands wetlands and former contaminated areas, which require untold amounts of special care during construction. See more at the links below.

Portal North Bridge construction

Existing bridges


Another comparison, from right to left: Old, new, NJ Turnpike Easterly Alignment. Another one built to never have to open.

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