Coast Guard OKs Bayonne Bridge roadway raising
Coast Guard approves plans for $1.3 billion project to raise roadway of Bayonne Bridge
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The Coast Guard has approved plans for a $1.3 billion project to raise the roadway of the Bayonne Bridge.
The approval announced Wednesday was the last needed for the work to begin. The Coast Guard completed its environmental review of the project on May 3, and officials say the permit for the work could be issued next week.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will raise the bridge's roadway by 64 feet in order to accommodate larger cargo ships anticipated to begin using the expanded Panama Canal by the end of 2015.
Support for the project has bridged traditional business and political divides, with a broad coalition that included the shipping and related industries, longshoremen and laborers unions, and elected officials in New York and New Jersey.
