New York awards Bayonne Bridge contract

The roadway of the 81-year-old bridge will be raised by almost 20 m (64 feet) to enable post-Panamax ships to pass under the structure to and from terminals at the two ports, including the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal and the New York Container Terminal.

The widening of the Panama Canal, scheduled for completion in 2015, will result in larger, more modern ships calling and the bridge project is considered critical to maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness of the ports, which handle 30% of US East Coast container traffic.

Work will start later this year, with deck removal scheduled for late 2015.  The project is the first time in the agency’s history that engineers will construct a bridge roadway deck above an existing roadway, while traffic continues to flow on the deck below.