Robert Menendez
01/25/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/25/2022 14:21
Menendez, Booker, Pascrell, Murphy Announce $143M Project to Rebuild Rt. 3 Bridge over Hackensack River
SECAUCUS, N.J. - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.), Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (N.J.-09) and Governor Phil Murphy today announced a $143.6 million project to rebuild the eastbound span of the Route 3 bridge over the Hackensack River, ensuring the bridge is safer for travelers. The federal lawmakers secured this funding in the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law in November.
"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the largest investment in America's bridges since the creation of the federal highway system. And boy do we need it. Throughout New Jersey we have about 500 bridges in a state of disrepair - including the Route 3 bridge behind us today," said Sen. Menendez. "The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will unleash American ingenuity and help us build a more resilient, more sustainable, and more productive economy.""From providing funds to clean up toxic Superfund sites, replace lead pipes, and now repair our state's crumbling bridges, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is positioning New Jersey to build a stronger economy that will help us to recover from this pandemic," said Sen. Booker. "This investment into our bridges will allow our country to be more competitive globally, build a 21st-century transportation system, and create jobs that will bolster the entire economy. I was proud to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill and am grateful for the partnership between federal, state, and local officials that will see these funds distributed to urgent projects that will make an immediate impact in the lives of New Jerseyans."
"When they put the finishing touches on the Route Three Eastbound, FDR was still in his first term. The Westbound was completed under JFK. Between these two bridges alone is 147 total years of wear and tear along one of the busiest commuter arteries in the Western Hemisphere," said Rep. Pascrell. "Today we finally have a Governor, a President, and a Congress who are simultaneously committed to rebuilding our bridges. The $124 Million project we are announcing today is the direct fruit of action by our Democratic Congress. Paired with the major Gateway Tunnel milestone we recently achieved, the investments we are announcing today will make sure that the travelers moving on these roads won't lose an extra minute of their lives."
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced earlier this month that New Jersey will receive $229.42 millionin FY22 from the infrastructure bill to help repair 502 bridgesacross the state, including the Route 3 bridge, that are considered in poor condition according to the Federal Highway Administration. Over the next five years, New Jersey is expected to receive a total of $1.147 billion in bridge formula funding from the bipartisan bill.
This Route 3 bridge was built in 1934 and over 150,000 vehicles drive over the bridge every day. Over the years, a number of repairs and emergency work has taken place to ensure the bridge's viability, but this has also caused congestion along an already heavily travelled route into Manhattan. This project would completely replace the eastbound bridge, which will improve safety, reliability and sustainability. The replacement would be built north of the existing bridge, causing minimal disruption to the flow of traffic. The new bridge would also be raised to accommodate marine traffic according to the U.S. Coast Guard's standards.
"As New Jersey works to build and repair its aging transportation infrastructure, we will also be creating and supporting jobs," said Raymond M. Pocino, vice president and eastern regional manager of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA)." According to Federal Highway Administration, the Route 3 Bridge alone would support 1,859 jobs both within and outside of the construction industry. The additional $1 billion of bridge work secured by our Congressional delegation will create another 13,000 jobs which means the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act not only strengthens infrastructure, it strengthens families and communities."CLICK TO VIEW THE ENTIRE PRESS CONFERENCE
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes an incentive for states to direct the new Bridge Formula Program funds to off-system bridges owned by a county, city, town or other local agency. While states generally must match federal funding with up to 20 percent state or local funding, the guidance issued this month notes that federal funds can be used for 100 percent of the cost of repairing or rehabilitating such locally owned off-system bridges.
Ultimately, billions of dollars will flow to New Jersey to help the state repair roads and highways, expand mass transit, build the Gateway Project, replace water and sewer pipes and increase broadband internet access.
In December, Sens. Menendez and Booker announced $54 millionfrom the infrastructure bill to support New Jersey's airports. While at Bloomfield Rail Station in November, the senators outlined how the bill will improve the state's overall infrastructure.
In 2018, the senators, Congressman Albio Sires (N.J.-08) and Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti announced an $18 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grantto replace the Route 3 bridge in North Bergen, near New Jersey Transit's park and ride.