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Work is underway to replace deteriorating Newark Bay Bridge, a major NY-NJ route
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Nov 7, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. ET
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Michael Sol Warren / Gothamist
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Nov 7, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. ET
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Work is underway to replace the outdated Newark Bay Bridge, which carries the New Jersey Turnpike extension into Hudson County and serves as one of the main connecting roads between the Garden State and New York City.
That bridge, also known as the Casciano Memorial Bridge, opened in 1956 and carries about 95,000 cars and trucks daily. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has warned that it is at the end of its usable life. The project to replace it is scheduled to be complete in 2031. Officials say there will be no disruption for commuters and minimal impact to local residents during construction, as the existing bridge will remain open during construction.
“All that traffic brings wear and tear,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday. “After 70 years of service, the bridge is in dire need of replacement.”
The new cable-stayed bridge will be built just north of the existing bridge across Newark Bay. It will have two lanes for traffic in both directions as well as full shoulders, addressing a safety concern plaguing the existing bridge.
“Because of the constant repair work on it, we have to shut down the shoulder routinely. Or if there is a downed vehicle, that shuts off a lane and we have to use the shoulder,” Sherrill said. “We can't get safety vehicles on the bridge.”
It cost about $40 million to build the existing bridge in the 1950s, said Kris Kolluri, the executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. That figure works out to be a little shy of $500 million in 2026 dollars.
The new bridge is expected to cost more than $6.7 billion, making it the most expensive single effort pursued by the Turnpike Authority. It’ll be paid for with toll revenue. Turnpike tolls have increased 3% annually since 2020. Sherrill did not directly say whether or not those annual increases will continue.
"We are going to make sure that we're not kicking the can down the road on anything,” Sherrill said. “So we'll be ensuring that we have the funding to continue to invest in infrastructure, which over time is going to ensure that every tax dollar is spent wisely.”
Kolluri noted that work in the river has already begun, with temporary construction trestles expected to be finished by the end of this year. The Turnpike Authority expects to award a contract for the actual bridge construction in March.
Sherrill compared the bridge to a pair of other major projects underway in the state — the new Hudson River rail tunnels currently being dug, and the new Portal Bridge currently being completed.
“ Unfortunately, in too many cases, it has been politically expedient for people to kick the can down the road, to do little patchwork repairs and not actually make sure we are making sound structural improvements,” Sherrill said. “So we are taking this on at every level, and making sure we're building for the future, and that New Jersey, once again, will be the crown jewel in infrastructure and improvement.”
The new Newark Bay Bridge will be a scaled back version of a $10.7 billion proposal, advanced by then-Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, that called for building two new bridges and widening the part of the extension that weaves through Jersey City to the Holland Tunnel.
That original plan drew fierce pushback from environmentalists and Jersey City community groups, who warned it would bring unnecessary air and noise pollution to already overburdened neighborhoods.
Murphy later walked back the extension widening in Jersey City, but still pushed for a two-bridge replacement. Sherrill announced in March that the extra lanes would be dropped from the plan. Her decision was praised by the mayors of Newark and Jersey City and environmental advocates.
The groundbreaking for the new bridge was held on the 75th anniversary of the New Jersey Turnpike opening. Mid-century Gov. Alfred Driscoll championed the turnpike, Kolluri said, with a vision of an efficient system for moving freight and passengers without burdening local roads in a growing state.
Kolluri said the whole turnpike system now serves about 260 million vehicles annually.
“That is a volume that I don't think even Gov. Driscoll thought was possible,” Kolluri said.
Tagged
Politics
new jersey
transportation
Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
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