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Turnpike Authority advances $6.7 billion Newark Bay bridge safety‑first program and awards construction contracts
Summary
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced a $6.7 billion safety‑first program to replace the Newark Bay bridge with a four‑lane structure with shoulders, commit to a project labor agreement and advance related trestle construction contracts; the board approved companion contracts, financing steps and an interagency funding posture touted as supporting transit.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority on Tuesday unveiled a $6.7 billion program to build a four‑lane replacement for the Newark Bay bridge and to prioritize safety improvements rather than adding capacity across the corridor.
Executive Director Chris Colory told the board the program is "safety‑first and fiscally prudent," citing the need to decommission the existing bridge by 2031 and to add shoulders and other safety features. He said the authority will advance design and environmental work, supervise construction with outside engineering firms and bring a project labor agreement (PLA) to the board when contracts are ready. "We have carefully reviewed the safety, the job creation and mobility benefits of a new Bay Bridge," Colory said in his prepared remarks.
Colory said the authority expects the program to create an estimated 19,000 jobs and pledged to adopt a PLA modeled on a recent Gateway development commission agreement. He also outlined the authority's current financial support for mass transit, saying that in the near term the Turnpike will provide $2.6 billion to New Jersey Transit over five years and noted other annual and debt‑service commitments tied to the Hudson Tunnel financing.
The board voted to move forward with multiple contract awards tied to the Newark Bay and Hudson County extension work. The engineering department recommended and the board approved: a $38.37 million award to George Harms Construction Co. for construction of the westbound Newark Bay bridge trestle in Newark, a $74.11 million award to PKF Mark III for the westbound trestle in Bayonne, and a $2.87 million award to Montana Construction for drainage video inspection and cleaning. The board also approved professional services orders for construction supervision, including a $9.95 million order to STV Inc. and a $710,000 order to KS Engineers PC.
Public commenters who had spent months opposing earlier, larger capacity proposals welcomed the scaled‑back approach. John Richmond of Empower New Jersey said the decision will "save billions of dollars" and free funds for transit. Emanuel Morgan of Hudson County Complete Streets and neighborhood leaders praised the emphasis on air quality, safety and community input. "Clean air, safe streets, and the agency of a community to decide its own fate is so critical," Morgan said.
Authority leaders framed the program as part of a broader, multimodal stewardship role. Colory described contingency planning the authority has done for large events — including contracting bus staging and contingency routing for the FIFA World Cup — as part of the agency’s interoperability with mass transit and tunnel operations.
Board members spoke in support of advancing the program on a safety and jobs basis. Chair Jane said the project "does exactly" what the authority's mission requires: protect road users and infrastructure. The board approved the contracts and related personnel and procurement items by roll call vote.
Next steps: staff will carry forward design and environmental work, finalize contract documents and present the PLA and contract recommendations to the board for formal award and execution.
