(The Newark Star-Ledger posted the following article on its website on April 13.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Nearly a century old, the Morgan Drawbridge on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line will be renovated over the next year under a $4.7 million contract awarded yesterday by the agency.
Located over the Cheesequake Creek in Sayreville, the moveable bridge was constructed in 1912 and carries 74 passenger trains each weekday.
“This project will improve service reliability for our North Jersey Coast Line customers by ensuring safe and dependable operation of the Morgan Drawbridge,” NJ Transit executive director George D. Warrington said in announcing the project. “We want to ensure that the drawbridge continues to operate reliably for another 94 years.”
The renovation is expected to benefit both rail customers and marine traffic. The contract, awarded to Kiska Construction Inc. of Long Island City, N.Y., includes rehabilitation of the mechanism for opening and closing the bridge, as well as other structural and mechanical improvements.
“We have a responsibility to our residents to keep New Jersey’s infrastructure in a state of good repair,” said NJ Transit board chairman Kris Kolluri, the state’s transportation commissioner. “Projects such as the Morgan Drawbridge rehabilitation reflect our firm commitment to making the necessary investments to keep New Jersey moving.”
The transit agency said it in tends to try to minimize any inconvenience for North Jersey Coast Line passengers by performing the work during off-peak and weekend hours whenever possible. Construction is expected to begin this spring and be completed by the summer of 2007.