The highly anticipated new Goethals bridge is set to open in stages this weekend, replacing the old bridge, which first opened in 1928 and connected New Jersey and Staten Island for nearly a century.
“This is the first major, new bridge erected in New Jersey in decades and it was long overdue, as anyone who navigated the old Goethals Bridge can attest,” Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement.
This is the first new Port Authority bridge erected since the 1930s, a clear example of the decline our nation’s infrastructure has suffered. The old Goethals bridge was a dangerous relic, with traffic lanes originally designed in the 1920’s for a long retired generation of automobiles. Projects like this have been long overdue, and are often unable to acquire sufficient funding from the public sector alone.
The new bridge was accomplished using a public-private partnership for both funding and construction, which Governor Christie said resulted in a “swifter project completion than had we relied solely on the public sector.”
This public-private partnership is a wonderful framework for the future of American infrastructure. Through such agreements we will be able to both repair and build crumbling roads, bridges, and waterways, creating thousands of jobs in the process.
A second Goethals bridge is currently under construction and is set to be completed in 2018.
