Toll hike on Staten Island Port Authority bridges set for Dec. 7 | SILive.com: "In what has become a grim holiday tradition, the Port Authority will soon roll out more toll hikes.
For the fourth year in a row, Dec. 7 will mark another set of fare increases at the Goethals and Bayonne bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing.
The new rates will include a 75-cent hike for E-ZPass users and a $1 increase for those who pay the cash toll. Those increases will bring the off-peak E-ZPass toll to $9.75; the peak E-ZPass toll to $11.75 and the cash fare to $14."
Friday, November 28, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Beauty of ‘Infrastructure’ - WSJ
The Beauty of ‘Infrastructure’ - WSJ: "What are some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects under way in the U.S.?
I take a broad view of the term infrastructure—not just big civil-engineering projects such as bridges and highways but all of the technological systems that support modern civilization. Given this definition, I think one could make a strong case that the biggest project is the ongoing expansion and replacement of the communications network, driven by the adoption of Internet standards and cellular-telephone technology. It’s really quite amazing. It took almost 100 years to wire the country the first time, with copper wires strung on wood poles for the first telegraph and telephone networks. We’ve torn all that down and replaced it at least three times, first with microwaves, then with satellites, then with optical fibers.
In terms of more conventional infrastructure, I would point to the dredging and refitting of ports up and down the East Coast to accommodate the new “post-Panamax” container ships. Perhaps the most dramatic example is in New York, where we need to raise the deck of the Bayonne Bridge to let the taller ships pass under it to the docks in Newark and Elizabeth, N.J."
I take a broad view of the term infrastructure—not just big civil-engineering projects such as bridges and highways but all of the technological systems that support modern civilization. Given this definition, I think one could make a strong case that the biggest project is the ongoing expansion and replacement of the communications network, driven by the adoption of Internet standards and cellular-telephone technology. It’s really quite amazing. It took almost 100 years to wire the country the first time, with copper wires strung on wood poles for the first telegraph and telephone networks. We’ve torn all that down and replaced it at least three times, first with microwaves, then with satellites, then with optical fibers.
In terms of more conventional infrastructure, I would point to the dredging and refitting of ports up and down the East Coast to accommodate the new “post-Panamax” container ships. Perhaps the most dramatic example is in New York, where we need to raise the deck of the Bayonne Bridge to let the taller ships pass under it to the docks in Newark and Elizabeth, N.J."
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Bigger and Bigger | Working Harbor Committee
Bigger and Bigger | Working Harbor Committee: "The largest container ships in the world just keep getting bigger."
Friday, November 21, 2014
Bayonne Bridge construction: Port Authority, city officials issue updates | NJ.com
Bayonne Bridge construction: Port Authority, city officials issue updates | NJ.com: "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has released another series of updates on the ongoing $1.3 billion "Raise the Roadway" project on the Bayonne Bridge, according to Bayonne city officials.
The construction project, which began in May 2013 and is slated to be completed by 2017, is designed to raise the navigational clearance under the crossing to 215 feet to allow larger, modern ships to travel under it. The project will also provide commuters with a modern roadway with 12-foot lanes and a 12-foot shared lane for bicyclists and pedestrians."
The construction project, which began in May 2013 and is slated to be completed by 2017, is designed to raise the navigational clearance under the crossing to 215 feet to allow larger, modern ships to travel under it. The project will also provide commuters with a modern roadway with 12-foot lanes and a 12-foot shared lane for bicyclists and pedestrians."
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Bayonne Bridge Update | The City of Bayonne, NJ
Bayonne Bridge Update | The City of Bayonne, NJ: "Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has advised the City of Bayonne concerning the latest developments in the Bayonne Bridge construction project."
Toll hike on Staten Island Port Authority bridges set for Dec. 7 | SILive.com
Toll hike on Staten Island Port Authority bridges set for Dec. 7 | SILive.com: "In what has become a grim holiday tradition, the Port Authority will soon roll out more toll hikes.
For the fourth year in a row, Dec. 7 will mark another set of fare increases at the Goethals and Bayonne bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing.
The new rates will include a 75-cent hike for E-ZPass users and a $1 increase for those who pay the cash toll. Those increases will bring the off-peak E-ZPass toll to $9.75; the peak E-ZPass toll to $11.75 and the cash fare to $14."
For the fourth year in a row, Dec. 7 will mark another set of fare increases at the Goethals and Bayonne bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing.
The new rates will include a 75-cent hike for E-ZPass users and a $1 increase for those who pay the cash toll. Those increases will bring the off-peak E-ZPass toll to $9.75; the peak E-ZPass toll to $11.75 and the cash fare to $14."
Bayonne Bridge 'traffic holds' scheduled for Thursday and Friday: Port Authority | NJ.com
Bayonne Bridge 'traffic holds' scheduled for Thursday and Friday: Port Authority | NJ.com: "Motorists going over the Bayonne Bridge will experience periodic 20-minute traffic holds this Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the website of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey."
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
[SLIDESHOW] Construction gets underway at Staten Island Port Authority bridge | Construction Global
[SLIDESHOW] Construction gets underway at Staten Island Port Authority bridge | Construction Global: "The arduous task on the Bayonne Bridge will involve moving 150-ton slabs of concrete up and over the road an into their foundation along the bridge approach. These pre-cast slabs will serve as the taller support piers for the new, higher roadway of the Bayonne Bridge."
Monday, November 17, 2014
The Bayonne Bridge | American Elephants
The Bayonne Bridge | American Elephants: "In his newest book, The Rule of Nobody, Philip K. Howard uses the Bayonne Bridge as an example. It spans in a single graceful arch, the Kill Van Kull, a narrow channel that connects New York Harbor to the port of Newark, the largest port on the East Coast. The new generation of container ships, designed to pass through the newly widened Panama Canal require clearance of 215 feet. The Bayonne Bridge was 151 feet above the water. In 2008 the engineers turned in the solutions— a new bridge or a tunnel — to the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Each would cost more than $4 billion.
The project manager gulped and asked the engineers if the present bridge could not be retrofitted? The engineers came back in a few months and said yes, a new roadway could be constructed within the existing span, ½ at a time to keep the roads open, for a cost of $1 billion, a savings of $3 billion. That was 2009. By 2013 the Port still lacked approvals to start construction. Timing was important for the canal would reopen in 2015. No government official had the authority to appoint a lead agency.
A lead agency can issue a “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) to deal with the environmental assessment. Letters went to a long list of possible “lead agencies,” but after another year, only the Coast Guard was left. Because of a federal regulation about a “navigable waterway,” there was a long list of approvals: an historic buildings survey, Native American tribes approval, The Eastern Environmental Law Center objected to possible second-level effects. More efficient ships might make the port more successful, quality of life, increased truck traffic. The EPA got involved. In 2012, president Obama declared the Bridge as one of seven essential port projects and committed to completing all permit decisions by April 2013. Who said that was final?
The average length of environmental review for highway projects is eight years. A project for a bridge one mile south has taken about 10 years. We desperately need a new electrical grid, but the government is incapable of making the decisions necessary to complete it. We are warned of the dangers of a potential EMP attack, and need to harden the grid, but there is no movement to do so.
Our federal government is always very busy creating new laws and regulations, but it is very bad at eliminating laws or regulations. They stay on the books and direct the work of millions of bureaucrats at millions of bureaucratic desks. Congress likes to make big general laws which they can brag about, but doesn’t like the nitty-gritty of ironing out all the fine points, legalities and consequences. They turn that over to the agencies, which is clearly not a satisfactory solution. See HHS, EPA, VA, IRS, NSA, TSA, and a few hundred other agencies.
Philip Howard explained: “The process is not aimed at trying to solve problems, but aimed at trying to find problems. You can’t get into trouble by saying no. With any large project something might go wrong. More studies are done.”"
'via Blog this'
The project manager gulped and asked the engineers if the present bridge could not be retrofitted? The engineers came back in a few months and said yes, a new roadway could be constructed within the existing span, ½ at a time to keep the roads open, for a cost of $1 billion, a savings of $3 billion. That was 2009. By 2013 the Port still lacked approvals to start construction. Timing was important for the canal would reopen in 2015. No government official had the authority to appoint a lead agency.
A lead agency can issue a “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) to deal with the environmental assessment. Letters went to a long list of possible “lead agencies,” but after another year, only the Coast Guard was left. Because of a federal regulation about a “navigable waterway,” there was a long list of approvals: an historic buildings survey, Native American tribes approval, The Eastern Environmental Law Center objected to possible second-level effects. More efficient ships might make the port more successful, quality of life, increased truck traffic. The EPA got involved. In 2012, president Obama declared the Bridge as one of seven essential port projects and committed to completing all permit decisions by April 2013. Who said that was final?
The average length of environmental review for highway projects is eight years. A project for a bridge one mile south has taken about 10 years. We desperately need a new electrical grid, but the government is incapable of making the decisions necessary to complete it. We are warned of the dangers of a potential EMP attack, and need to harden the grid, but there is no movement to do so.
Our federal government is always very busy creating new laws and regulations, but it is very bad at eliminating laws or regulations. They stay on the books and direct the work of millions of bureaucrats at millions of bureaucratic desks. Congress likes to make big general laws which they can brag about, but doesn’t like the nitty-gritty of ironing out all the fine points, legalities and consequences. They turn that over to the agencies, which is clearly not a satisfactory solution. See HHS, EPA, VA, IRS, NSA, TSA, and a few hundred other agencies.
Philip Howard explained: “The process is not aimed at trying to solve problems, but aimed at trying to find problems. You can’t get into trouble by saying no. With any large project something might go wrong. More studies are done.”"
'via Blog this'
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Video: Bayonne Bridge will be ready for larger post-Panama Canal ships - Video | NJ.com
Video: Bayonne Bridge will be ready for larger post-Panama Canal ships - Video | NJ.com: "Video: Bayonne Bridge will be ready for larger post-Panama Canal ships
As the Panama Canal is expanded, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is raising the roadbed of the Bayonne Bridge to allow for larger ships. Joann Papageorgis, program director of the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program, says that the bridge will be ready when the new canal opens."
As the Panama Canal is expanded, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is raising the roadbed of the Bayonne Bridge to allow for larger ships. Joann Papageorgis, program director of the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program, says that the bridge will be ready when the new canal opens."
Friday, November 14, 2014
Bayonne Bridge to close this weekend as Raise the Roadway project continues | NJ.com
Bayonne Bridge to close this weekend as Raise the Roadway project continues | NJ.com: "The Bayonne Bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. tomorrow to 5 a.m. on Monday as work continues on the $1.3 billion Raise the Roadway construction project, the Port Authority announced."
Port Authority postpones 'traffic holds' on Bayonne Bridge | SILive.com
Port Authority postpones 'traffic holds' on Bayonne Bridge | SILive.com: "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has postponed its weekday ''traffic holds'' on the Bayonne Bridge until Wednesday, according to the agency's website."
Monday, November 10, 2014
Get ready: Bayonne Bridge weekday 'traffic holds' may start as soon as Friday | SILive.com
Get ready: Bayonne Bridge weekday 'traffic holds' may start as soon as Friday | SILive.com: "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced that the Bayonne Bridge will experience periodic traffic holds on weekdays, possibly starting as early as Friday, according to a spokesman.
The holds "are required for motorist safety during installation of pier segments above the roadway," in connection with the ongoing Bayonne Bridge "Raise the Roadway" Project."
The holds "are required for motorist safety during installation of pier segments above the roadway," in connection with the ongoing Bayonne Bridge "Raise the Roadway" Project."
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Envisioning a new Staten Island through contemporary art | SILive.com
Envisioning a new Staten Island through contemporary art | SILive.com: "The Willowbrook Parkway, Moses planned in the early 1960s, would've cut across the Staten Island Expressway on its way south from the Bayonne Bridge, through LaTourette, terminating at Great Kills Park on the South Shore."
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Port Authority issues update on progress of Bayonne Bridge project for residents | NJ.com
Port Authority issues update on progress of Bayonne Bridge project for residents | NJ.com: "The latest Port Authority update on the progress of the Bayonne Bridge construction project:"
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
What are the small islands that surround Staten Island? | SILive.com
What are the small islands that surround Staten Island? | SILive.com: "The other easy observed island is Shooter's Island in the Kill van Kull; it can be seen on the western side of the Bayonne Bridge. But only 34 of this island's 43 acres belongs to us. The remaining 9 acres is part of New Jersey, with the western 1.5 acres going to Elizabeth and the eastern 7.5 acres belonging to Bayonne. "
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