The controversial $6.2 billion plan to replace the Newark Bay Bridge with two wider spans between Newark and Bayonne is poised to have the U.S. Coast Guard okay it after a public comment period.
Coast Guard officials said in a May 9 public notice they plan to issue a “Finding of No Significant Impact” for the proposed first phase project, unless significant impacts are revealed during the 30-day public comment period.
Opponents of the project said they plan to ask the Coast Guard for more time because the May 9 start of the public comment period was not widely publicized and the June 11 end date leaves just a few weeks for comments.
The project’s first phase calls for construction of twin cable stay bridges to replace a 67-year-old span that carries the Turnpike over Newark Bay, and 14 other bridges between Exit 14 in Newark and 14A in Bayonne. The cost to replace the bridges along this 4.1-mile section of the Turnpike is estimated to be $6.2 billion.
It’s part of a controversial $10.7 billion widening project extending from Exit 14 to Exit 14C in Jersey City. No date is set for commencing the other phases that would widen the two-lane extension between exit 14A in Bayonne and 14C in Jersey City.
The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for determining if the project satisfies the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and tentatively determined that the project will not have a significant impact.
A public comment period is open through June 11 by emailing SMB-D1Boston-Bridges-PublicNotices@uscg.mil. The Coast Guard encouraged comments from boaters and mariners. It also encouraged people to reach out who want to comment about the environmental effects of the project and potential “impacts on minority and/or low-income populations.”
Written comments can be sent to the U.S. Coast Guard, Battery Park Building, 1 South Street New York, NY 10004-1466.
Meanwhile, the Turnpike Authority has scheduled a public information forum in Bayonne on May 28 between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson School #10 Gymnasium. Registration is open on the Turnpike extension project website at https://nbhce.njta.com/
A similar forum, promised in Jersey City, has not been scheduled. The coast guard study results follow an Environmental Impact Study released in October that concluded the project will have little to no adverse impact on adjacent neighborhoods, air quality, noise or traffic.
Opponents of the project, including public officials in Jersey City and Hoboken and various advocacy and environmental groups, disagree because the project will bring more cars, which objectors say will generate more air pollution and adverse health effects for people living in nearby neighborhoods.
Last December, the Turnpike Authority awarded a $149.6 million contract to the Parsons Transportation Group, Inc. to do final designs on the twin bridges that would replace the aging span over Newark Bay.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry.
