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The New Jersey Turnpike Authority will hold public information centers in Newark, Bayonne, and Jersey City to discuss plans to replace the aging bridges and viaducts of the Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension.
The first public information center will be held in from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27th, at East Side High School, 238 Van Buren St., Newark. Details of the Bayonne and Jersey City sessions will be announced soon.
The public information center will follow the format of an open house. Residents, drivers, public officials, small business owners, and other stakeholders are invited to drop by any time between 6 and 9 p.m. to learn about the first project in the critical safety and modernization effort known as the Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension Improvements Program. There will be information boards describing the improvements, and members of the Program team will be on hand to answer questions.
“The New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s active engagement with our residents, a full two years before the start of construction on the first project of the Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension Improvements Program, is an important and commendable step to ensure an equitable and community-centered approach to infrastructure development,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “A safe, sustainable, and resilient transportation network is crucial for the economic well-being of the City of Newark. We look forward to partnering with the Turnpike Authority to make sure that the voices of our residents continue to be heard and that they benefit from the significant employment and contracting opportunities.”
The Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension Improvements Program is a series of independent projects. The first project will address the section of the Extension between Interchange 14 in Newark and Interchange 14A in Bayonne and Jersey City. That project will be the focus of the public information centers in Newark, Bayonne, and Jersey City.
The other half of the Extension, between Interchange 14A and the eastern terminus at Jersey Avenue in Jersey City, will be addressed in future projects. Those projects are expected to move to construction in the next decade. As they advance from preliminary engineering to final design in the coming years, additional public information centers will be scheduled.
The improvements to be made under the first project will protect the safety of drivers and residents alike by replacing all 16 bridge and viaduct structures between Interchanges 14 and 14A, including the Vincent Robert Casciano Bridge over Newark Bay.
The new structures will relieve traffic congestion, accommodate the forecasted growth in the corridor, boost the resiliency of a designated coastal evacuation route, and address the anticipated impacts of climate change.
Construction of the first project is scheduled to begin in 2026 and last eight to 10 years.
“The Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension plays a vital role in New Jersey’s economy by providing safe, reliable access to the port facilities off Interchange 14A and to the thriving communities in the corridor,” said Turnpike Authority Executive Director James Carone. “The 16 bridges and viaducts between Interchanges 14 and 14A have reached the end of their useful lives. We look forward to meeting with residents, drivers, and other interested parties at the upcoming public information centers to explain our plan to replace them with modern structures designed to last for the next 100 years or more.”
For those unable to attend a public information center in person, the Program team recorded a virtual version that describes the project and answers many frequently asked questions. To find that video and other important Program materials, visit nbhce.njta.com.
A draft Environmental Assessment of the improvements to be made between Interchanges 14 and 14A is posted online at www.njta.com/capitalprojects/newark_bay_hudson_county. Copies of the document are also available at the Newark Public Library (5 Washington Street, Newark), the Bayonne Public Library (697 Avenue C, Bayonne), and the Jersey City Public Library, Earl A. Morgan Branch (1841 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City).
