I am pleased to share another major milestone for our Portal North Bridge Replacement Project. Yesterday, we officially commenced construction on the single largest construction contract award in our history. A recording of the ceremony is available online by clicking here.
It was truly an historic day for NJ TRANSIT, the State of New Jersey, and our region. We were joined by dignitaries representing some of the highest levels of federal and state government, whose support was integral to achieving this milestone. To name just a few, we were pleased to host both Governor Murphy and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who was kind enough to record this video praising our work on this project, and congratulating us for reaching this day.
In addition to Governor Murphy and Secretary Buttigieg, our Board Chair & NJDOT Commissioner, Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and I were joined by a host of VIPs, including: FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez and FRA Administrator Amit Bose; Senators Menendez and Booker; and several members of NJ’s Congressional Delegation. We were also joined by NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin; NJ State Senator and Senate Transportation Committee Chair Pat Diegnan; and NJ Assemblyman and Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Dan Benson.
But, no matter how much external support this project received, it couldn’t move forward without the hard work and commitment of so many in our organization. NJ TRANSIT employees from across every department have been working years to make this day a reality and – through our collective efforts – construction has now begun on a project that will create thousands of jobs, generate billions in economic activity, and usher in a new era of reliability for millions of customers who travel between New Jersey and New York every year. We should all feel very proud of this accomplishment.
Portal North Bridge is also the first key component of Phase One of the overall Gateway Program. This project, combined with the advancing Hudson Tunnel Project and the reimagining and expansion of Penn Station New York, positions the entire Northeast Corridor to safely and reliably meet the demands of NJ TRANSIT customers for generations to come.
I am very proud of our work to aggressively advance this project over the past four and a half years, and I thank all of you for your contributions. I look forward to providing you with regular updates as construction progresses.
Warmly,
Kevin
