Overcoming Challenges on the Portal North Bridge Replacement Project
NJ Transit and Amtrak are replacing the century-old swing-span Portal Bridge in New Jersey with a high-level fixed-span bridge that will not have to open and close for river traffic. This bridge is a critical link in the congested territory between Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station, New York with 450 daily trains carrying over 200,000 daily passengers over the Hackensack River. The Portal North Bridge is an important element of the broader Gateway Program.
Malcolm was contracted by the Skanska-Traylor Joint Venture to install 8 and 10-foot diameter permanently cased drilled shafts through up to 160 feet of overburden into bedrock utilizing one of their Leffer Oscillator and Liebherr HS8130 dual duty crane. The rock sockets in hard Mudstone were drilled with our Liebherr LB44. All shafts were surveyed by Sonic Caliper and rock socket quality was verified by Mini-SID and Down-the -Hole camera inspections. Shaft integrity was further verified by Crosshole Sonic Logging (CSL) and Thermal Integrity Profile (TIP) testing. Most of the work was performed from temporary work trestles and platforms right next to a high-voltage power line and the active rail lines.
