The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced the right lane on Route 3 westbound will be closed for several days as the Route 3 Bridge over Conrail; New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) replacement project advances in North Bergen, Hudson County.
Beginning at 4 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 18 until 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, NJDOT’s contractor, Ritacco Construction Inc., is scheduled to close the right lane on Route 3 westbound from Route 1&9 to just before the ramp to and from the NJ TRANSIT Park & Ride Lot and to Route 495 eastbound/Lincoln Tunnel. In addition, the right lane on the ramps from Route 1&9 northbound and southbound to Route 3 westbound will be closed. The closures are necessary for a concrete deck pour and time for the concrete to cure. At least one lane will be maintained on Route 3 westbound through the weekend.
The $24.8 million project is federally funded through a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. It will replace the bridge located between the Route 495 Bridge over Route 3 on the west and Route 1&9/Tonnele Avenue on the east, near the south entrance to the NJ TRANSIT North Bergen Park & Ride lot. The new, wider bridge will improve safety by providing standard lane and shoulder widths and improved sight distance. The sidewalk will be extended to connect the existing sidewalk on Route 1&9/Tonnele Avenue to the North Bergen Park and Ride.
In addition, the new Route 3 Bridge design eliminates the piers adjacent to the railroad tracks. This will improve rail service by allowing freight trains to transport higher and wider loads, as well as travel at higher speeds. It also will create more space between the tracks, which is required to provide shared passenger and freight service. This expanded passenger and freight service will provide significant regional benefits to commuters and the freight industry from Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson counties.
The project is being constructed in five stages. The bridge remains open in both directions during construction and pedestrian traffic is being maintained as well. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2023.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.