Tuesday, May 31, 2016

YMF Site Tour to Bayonne Bridge

ASCE Metropolitan Section: "The eastern approaches are currently under construction while the existing western approaches handle all vehicular traffic. Once the eastern approaches are complete, the project team will begin preparing for Navigational Clearance which is scheduled to be complete by late 2017. All vehicular traffic will be moved to the newly constructed eastern approaches, while the western approaches are complete, with a completion date of mid 2019."

Ship Sizes Soar on Asia-US East Coast Route

Port Technology: "In addition, there are physical restrictions that will prevent carriers from rushing in with the biggest ships, the most obvious being the ongoing project to raise the Bayonne Bridge that restricts access to the Port of New York/New Jersey and is not expected to be completed until mid-2019. As long as the Bayonne Bridge is not raised, it will not be possible for 13,000 TEU ‘neo-Panamax’ containerships to operate from Asia to the US East Coast. The G6 Alliance’s new NYX service will presumably call at the Global Marine Terminal that doesn’t require a transit under the Bayonne Bridge."

Friday, May 27, 2016

At the mercy of carriers

Port Strategy: "Ports are being pushed into expensive dredging - which faces the full brunt of environmental pressures - and raising of bridges to allow ever-larger ships to pass under in order to reach terminals that were built along river stretches that had more than enough clearance for ships of the time. Think only of Bayonne Bridge or the bridge in Hamburg as two examples."

Bayonne Bridge Open for Holiday Weekend

Bayonne NJ News - TAPinto: "In observance of Memorial Day weekend, the Bayonne Bridge will remain open from 5 a.m. Friday, May 27 through 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 31."

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

What we know about tax reductions for Bayonne Bridge neighbors

NJ.com: "Here are four questions residents might have about the reductions, and the answers that city officials and public records have provided so far:"

Staten Island's Faber Park designated one of city's "showcase" spots

SILive.com: "Port Richmond's Faber Park, with its sprawling lawns, and waterfront promenade in the shadow of the Bayonne Bridge, has been designated as one of the city's eight "showcase" parks by the city Parks Department."

Port Authority working on new 10-year capital plan

Philly.com: "Several other large-scale projects in the 2014 plan are in progress, such as the raising of the Bayonne Bridge, the replacement of the Goethals Bridge, work on the Pulaski Skyway and Lincoln Tunnel helix in northern New Jersey and replacement of suspender cables on the George Washington Bridge."

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Councilman rails against 'secret' tax reductions for residents living near Bayonne Bridge

NJ.com: "According to City Chief of Staff Andrew Casais, the temporary reductions collectively total $262,988, or a 20 percent reduction of the taxable assessments of 135 properties within the impact zone of the Bayonne Bridge project."

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Fourth Annual Northeast Industrial Real Estate Summit – June 21, 2016

Prudential Center | Newark, NJ: "In addition, the macro economic recovery in the United States and improvements to the Bayonne Bridge continue to enhance opportunities for traditional industrial landlords and supply-chain firms"

More cargo means higher ranking for Port of N.Y. and N.J., CBRE says

NJBIZ: "The activity comes as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey implements a $4.3 billion capital plan to invest and upgrade existing port infrastructure. The most high-profile project is the raising of the Bayonne Bridge deck by 64 feet in order to allow larger cargo ships to reach terminals at Port Newark-Elizabeth."

Bayonne Bridge to be open during day Saturday, Sunday

SILive.com: "The Port Authority will close the bridge at 9 p.m. on Friday night, May 20, and reopen it at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, May 21. The bridge will then close again at 9 p.m. on Saturday night, and reopen 8 a.m. Sunday morning, May 22."

Panama Canal: June 26 or Bust

Business Facilities: "Ports from Halifax in Canada to Brownsville, TX (and everywhere in between) have been upgrading for several years to be ready to greet the Post-Panamax ships. The Port of Virginia and the Port of Baltimore met the requirements well over a year ago; several other ports are racing to be ready by the middle of next year, when shipping through the Canal is expected to surge to an annual rate of more than 360 million tons. The Port Authority of NY and NJ, which operates one of the nation’s busiest ports, is working non-stop to complete a project to raise the Bayonne Bridge to a height that will permit Post-Panamax vessels to travel under it."

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Upcoming Hidden Harbor Tours

Working Harbor Committee: "Learn about how floating dry docks work, the history of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse, tug boat yards, the Bayonne Bridge and it’s connection to the Panama Canal Expansion project, and more from our expert narrators – plus,the chance to get an epic selfie at sunset with Lady Liberty."

Monday, May 16, 2016

More high-paying Port Newark jobs should go to Newark residents

Opinion | NJ.com: "Yet, local residents only hold 10 percent of these middle-class jobs paying more than $40,000 annually. This is part of a broader, troubling picture — Newark residents, incredibly, hold only 18 percent of all jobs in the city. "

US East, Gulf ports hustling work in anticipation of bigger ships

JOC.com: "But when the new locks finally open this June, more than two years behind the original schedule, the event may prove anti-climactic. Post-Panamax container ships that the new locks were built to handle have been calling at East Coast ports for the last three years from Asia via the Suez Canal. The ships on the Suez route began arriving at East Coast ports well before many of them had completed deepening their harbors; ships could only call some ports twice a day at high tide or after they had unloaded enough cargo to lighten their draft at ports with deeper channels before calling ports with shallower drafts."

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Bayonne bridge in 2013. Before construction for the improvement to make it higher

#nycphotographer - freddygcano: "Bayonne bridge in 2013. Before construction for the improvement to make it higher."

Bayonne Bridge Instagram photos and videos

Instagram photos and videos

US importers accelerate Asia cargo shift to East Coast ports

JOC.com: "U.S. East Coast ports accelerated their grab of Asian import market share during the worst of the West Coast port crisis, and have not only kept their gains but built on them even after the congestion cleared."

Dredging Deeper for Bigger Ships

Working Harbor Committee: "Additionally, the roadway on the Bayonne Bridge is being raised 64 feet to allow larger ships to pass beneath to enter the port terminals in Newark Bay."

Newark kids choking on Port Authority's diesel exhaust

Editorial | NJ.com: "The Port Authority knows this, but it invested a paltry $1.2 million in the program after getting sticker shock. It would cost $150 million to cover the program, which a large sum, but not for an agency that routinely spends billions on capital projects like raising the Bayonne Bridge - a $1.3 billion project that will bring in twice as much cargo and produce more truck pollution."

Saturday, May 14, 2016

When Will the New Panama Canal Affect East Coast Ports?

When Will the New Panama Canal Affect East Coast Ports?: "Others cite the limitations of the Bayonne Bridge on the approach to Port of NY & NJ: “New York is one of the main gateways to the Midwest and eastern Canada,” said Angel Mavares, head of marine operations for the Americas at Maersk. “It’s a major obstacle if the largest market on the East Coast doesn’t have the scale to handle larger ships."

NY-NJ port eyes more projects to better handle larger ships

JOC.com: "The ports have already handled ships up to 50 percent larger than the 6,000 TEU ships that were originally planned for, among them the Clementine Maersk and the NYK Arcadia, both of which sailed under the Bayonne Bridge, Wisemiller said. The Clementine Maersk can take 8,650 containers, and the NYK Arcadia can carry 9,600 TEUs."

Bayonne Bridge to close Friday until Sunday morning for ongoing construction

NJ.com: "During the week, bridge is closed on Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and overnight on Mondays through Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m."

Coastal Communities Fight to Slow Seaports Surge

WSJ: "The efforts aren’t always successful. Earlier this year, the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey abandoned a plan to replace old diesel trucks at its terminals with lower-emission vehicles, citing funding shortfalls. That came shortly after the advocacy group Coalition for Healthy Ports lost a lawsuit against the U.S. Coast Guard over a project to raise the Bayonne Bridge in New Jersey to make it possible for large ships to reach more marine terminals at the port."

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Ironbound Residents Want Truck Emissions Reduced

Video | NJTV News: "“How could you put a cost on people’s health? You get a billion dollar project, like the raising of the Bayonne Bridge, and you can’t find a couple of million dollars in that project in order to do truck replacement,” asked Executive Director Joseph Della Fave."

New York, New Jersey officials urge permitting reform for transportation projects

Reuters: "Panel participants called the current permitting process "headless" and "bizarre" and said it resulted in a 20,000-page environmental review document for the Bayonne Bridge."

Monday, May 9, 2016

The new Panama Canal is opening soon and will cause an 'evolution' in a vital US industry

Business Insider India: "In New York, container ships are limited by the height of the Bayonne Bridge, which straddles the port's entrance. A project to raise its roadway will conclude in 2019, according to the Port Authority."

Friday, May 6, 2016

Bayonne Bridge to close Friday night, reopen Saturday

SILive.com: "To accommodate "Raise the Roadway" construction and to minimize traffic, the bridge will close at 9 p.m. Friday night and reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday."

Panama Canal Expansion Exposes US Infrastructure, Shipper Woes

Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News: "The harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, for instance, is too shallow. The Bayonne Bridge outside New York and New Jersey terminals is too low."

Will New Panama Canal Boost East Coast Ports?

Maratime Executive: The Panama Canal was not the only bottleneck between Asia's factories and East Coast markets. The Bayonne Bridge spanning the tidal strait between New York and New Jersey is a big one. Ships plying the East Coast visit more than one port, but all stop in New York, which accounts for 40 percent of the container traffic for the Eastern United States. If a ship cannot unload part of its cargo in New York, it does not make economic sense for it to travel to the East Coast at all, shippers said. “New York is one of the main gateways to the Midwest and eastern Canada,” said Angel Mavares, head of marine operations for the Americas at Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), the world’s biggest carrier. “It’s a major obstacle if the largest market on the East Coast doesn’t have the scale to handle larger ships.” In anticipation of the Panama Canal improvements, the New York New Jersey Port Authority announced a $1.3 billion plan in 2010 to raise the bridge. But was delayed a year until late 2017 because of unanticipated complexities and a couple of bad winters. Some of the biggest carriers, including Maersk, Hapag Lloyd AG (HLAG.DE), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), a unit of Orient Overseas International Ltd (0316.HK), said they have no plans to change routes when the expanded Panama Canal opens. "At the end of the day, the infrastructure's just not there," said Gerry Wang, chief executive of Seaspan Corp (SSW.N), the world's largest lessor of container ships. Because the U.S. Navy dredged Norfolk, Virginia, some years ago, that port is ready for big ships, as it Miami, which spent $1 billion on dredging, rail and other improvements."

Thursday, May 5, 2016

NY-NJ, Oakland container terminals forced to seek longer gate hours

JOC.com: " In New York-New Jersey, at least 60 percent of the vessel is worked, but that percentage could increase when the Bayonne Bridge is raised, allowing the largest ships afloat to call there."

Panama Canal expansion exposes US infrastructure, shipper woes

Business Insider: "The $5.2 billion expansion of the Panama Canal was expected to make US East Coast ports more competitive for cargo ships carrying televisions, tennis shoes, and other products from Asia.

But those hopes are fading. As the wider, deeper canal nears its debut next month, ports that stand to gain aren't ready to handle the bigger ships that will come through.

The harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, for instance, is too shallow. The Bayonne Bridge outside New York and New Jersey terminals is too low."

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Bayonne Bridge Schedule: May 2-9, 2016

City of Bayonne, NJ - Official Website: Daily schedule:

  • Monday, May 2 – 9am - 3pm closure
  • Monday, May 2 – 7pm - 5am closure*
  • Tuesday, May 3 – 9am - 3pm closure
  • Tuesday, May 3 – 7pm - 5am closure*
  • Wednesday, May 4 – 9am - 3pm closure
  • Wednesday, May 4 – 7pm - 5am closure*
  • Thursday, May 5 – 9am - 3pm closure
  • Thursday, May 5 – 7pm - 5am closure*
  • Friday, May 6 – 9am - 3pm closure
  • Friday, May 6 – 9pm closure

Next weekend, the Bayonne Bridge will close at 9pm Friday, May 6th and reopen by 8am Saturday, May 7th. The bridge will remain open from 8am Saturday, May 7ththrough the rest of the weekend until 9am Monday, May 9th in observance of Mother’s Day.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Bayonne Bridge update: Span will reopen Sunday morning

SILive.com: "The Port Authority has updated the closure schedule for the Bayonne Bridge this weekend. Originally scheduled to be closed from Friday night until Monday morning, the bridge will now reopen Sunday at 8 a.m. "