For the first time in years, all lanes of the Bayonne Bridge will be open to traffic.
Monday, Feb. 11 will mark the completion of the $1.7 billion “Raise the Roadway” project at the Bayonne Bridge.
Port Authority and local officials held a media event Friday to give updates on the final phases of the repairs.
“What we are marking today is a very important further construction milestone where the entire main span of the bridge now moves from two lanes to four lanes,” says Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “That will be four lanes of modern, 12-foot wide lanes.”
The bridge will be closed Friday night in both directions from 9 p.m. through the weekend to finish the last-minute repairs. It will reopen to all traffic by 5 a.m. Monday. But some ramps leading to the bridge will be closed while approach work is ongoing. That work should be completed by the spring.
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis says that he is glad that the project is nearly complete.
“It’s a milestone in a marathon, but we are finally down to the stretch run and for the people of Bayonne and for Staten Island also, the end is near. There is light at the end of the tunnel,” the mayor says.
The “Raise the Roadway” project began in 2013 when the deck of the bridge was raised from 151 feet to 215 feet to accommodate larger ships into the Kill Van Kull between Staten Island and Bayonne.
The span of the bridge was designed for a 100-year lifespan.
The project was initially expected to cost $1.3 billion but went over budget. Port Authority officials conceded that better oversight was needed.