Goethals Bridge Replacement – Staten Island, NY to Elizabeth, NJ

Parsons is the lead designer for the $1.5 billion replacement of the Goethals Bridge, which spans the Arthur Kill between Staten Island, NY, and Elizabeth, NJ. The design accommodates potential future mass transit and utilizes state-of-the-art smart bridge technology.

To advance the implementation and delivery of the replacement of the Goethals Bridge while addressing cash flow challenges due to concurrent mega-projects, the Port Authority opted for a contract to design, build, finance, and maintain the new bridge. This is the agency’s first use of a P3 on a bridge.

The project includes:

• Smart bridge technology, including a roadway weather information system, a traffic detection system, structural health monitoring, weigh-in-motion systems, CCTV, SCADA controls, and a lane control system
• Twin 7,300-foot structures with 900-foot cable-stayed main spans
• Unique approach spans featuring three different configurations
• Weekend Accelerated Bridge Construction roll-in replacement of five railroad spans for the Travis Spur
• An access road through the marsh for construction access and future maintenance and inspection, complete with a 5-span trestle bridge

We enhanced safety conditions and performance reliability by meeting structural integrity, security, and seismic standards, and reducing life-cycle cost. Environmental concerns, such as preserving and protecting nearby wetlands, were carefully addressed. We contributed relevant Historic American Engineering Record documentation to the Library of Congress for the preservation of the historic original crossing.

On June 9, 2017, the eastbound span of the new Goethals Bridge opened to traffic and the Authority closed its 89-year-old predecessor. The westbound lanes were opened on May 19, 2018, making the replacement bridge fully operable to the public.