Port Authority Considers Replacement Bridge For Goethals

The Goethals Bridge, which was completed in 1928 to span the Arthur Kill between Staten Island and New Jersey, has been obsolete for years. There have been plans to build a parallel span or a replacement span in the works, but it would appear that the Port Authority is finally getting around to going forward. The Port Authority has released renderings of the new bridge along with a tentative completion date.

Put simply, the Goethals is a dangerous bridge to cross, regardless of the improvements done to the span over the years. The lanes are simply too narrow at 10 feet and there are no breakdown lanes so that any accident or breakdown on the bridge can lead to massive backups in short order. It is a harrowing experience under normal conditions, but can be downright dangerous when it is dark, raining, or snowing because there is little margin for error.

The mockup of the new bridge is a sleek cable stayed bridge with three 12 foot wide lanes in each direction, plus space for a light rail that could be built at a later date. There would be a breakdown lane in either direction as well.

The plan is generally sound since it would reduce traffic and congestion concerns and incorporates mass transit, although if they're going to build the bridge, do so with the light rail at the outset, since it is more cost effective than building it down the road. The Port Authority's experience in watching costs soar through the roof on the Ground Zero construction should indicate the need to build the bridge already incorporating the mass transit option.

I have no doubt that Staten Island residents are going to complain about the traffic and additional congestion on the Staten Island Expressway, but this bridge is a bottleneck on I-278. Further, the new bridge would enable larger ships to navigate the Arthur Kill, which is a major shipping lane in New York harbor.

The Port Authority had been mulling several options, including a no-build option, but their latest engineering reports indicated that the span's bridge deck would need a full replacement within 10 years, making the no-build or parallel span options unworkable.

For a change, the Port Authority is actually considering a plan that would benefit the Port and fulfill its mission to the region. Contracts would be let beginning in 2011, with completion in 2015.