The completion of the Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” project will now take until mid-2019 and could result in additional costs of up to 15 percent, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey announced in a public statement on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Bayonne city officials were informed about the delays during a meeting on the same day.
“The revised schedule indicates the completion of navigational clearance portion of the project by the end of 2017, and the full project completion by mid-2019,” said Bayonne Chief of Staff Andrew Casais in a statement. “This is in contrast with the Port Authority’s original projections of 2015 and 2017, respectively.”
In the spring, authority officials told the Bayonne Community News the bridge project would be totally completed in early 2018.
When finished, the $1.3 billion project will raise the existing 151-foot roadway to 215 feet, the same height as the nearby Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The extra height is needed for the larger ships which will transport goods from the Panama Canal in a few years.
City officials and residents expressed their displeasure about the news.
Mayor James Davis, City Council President Sharon Nadrowski, and First Ward Councilman Thomas Cotter are all downtown residents.
“This project was sold to the residents as a benefit for the city by the prior administration,” Davis said in a statement. “Instead, it has been an ongoing struggle with the Port Authority to try and protect the residents of Bayonne.”
“Today’s announcement is just the latest chapter of the saga we have endured,” Davis continued. “Nevertheless, I remain fully committed to doing all that we can for the residents most affected by this project.”
Nadrowski had a crane in her back yard for part of the project.
“As one of the many residents directly affected by this project, and as an elected official, I am troubled by the continued failure of the Port Authority to honor their commitments to the residents of Bayonne,” Nadrowski said.
Another of the residents affected is Julie Lynch, who has lived on Kennedy Boulevard and Juliette Street for four and a half years. The “Raise the Roadway” project has been a hardship on her and her family since it began.
“It’s a continuous issue,” she said. “There are constantly trucks, dust, dirt, and noise pollution. It’s never ending.”
The project has also affected her recreational life. In past summers, she barbecued in her backyard every weekend. But since the bridge reconstruction started, it has been only once or twice a summer.
Lynch said she doubts that the announcement is the last word on delays for the project.
“They say a year and a half, but I believe it’s going to be longer than that,” she said. “It’s a hindrance to the residents.”
Lynch said she is moving soon, a few blocks east of where she is now, and the bridge work is the main reason.
Cotter, the first ward councilman, is unhappy with the turn of events.
“This is unacceptable,” Cotter said. “The Port Authority essentially did a bait and switch on the residents by promising one thing and delivering another.”
The “Raise the Roadway” project is the first time engineers are constructing a bridge roadway deck above an existing roadway while causing limited disruption to traffic on the lower deck. The joint venture of Skanska Koch/Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (JV) is handling construction.
“They say a year and a half, but I believe it’s going to be longer than that.” – Julie Lynch
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Reasons for delay
Port Authority officials said numerous challenges have necessitated the push back of the construction schedule, including last year’s harsh winter; complicated steel reinforcement activities that required additional repairs and modifications; modifications to the existing steel arch to ensure safety and allow traffic to continue during construction; and changes in project staging to address community concerns and reduce construction impacts overnight.
Sticking to new timetable
“Although a number of challenges have impacted the project’s timetable, we continue to monitor Skanska JV’s construction progress and, together with Skanska JV, anticipate completion within the schedule announced today,” Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said on Oct. 1.
The construction on the “Raise the Roadway” project is almost 50 percent complete, a Port Authority official said.
The Port Authority’s announcement came on the same day that the annual Port Industry Day was held at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. The event, which took place at the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s new passenger terminal, is a gathering of shipping, cruise line, and other officials who meet to discuss the impact of their industries on traffic, the economy, and the environment.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.