Payne, Jr. Visits Century-Old Portal Bridge, Highlights Need for Robust Federal Infrastructure Investment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as part of Infrastructure Week, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) joined Amtrak representatives for a Portal Bridge site tour and a briefing about the condition of the bridge and the larger Gateway Program for rail infrastructure improvements along the Northeast Corridor.

Click here for more photos from Rep. Payne, Jr.’s Portal Bridge site tour.

“Every day that the federal government fails to provide funding for the Gateway Program brings us closer to a complete shutdown of the Northeast Corridor,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “Seeing the Portal Bridge up close, you realize just how decrepit it is and how urgently it must be replaced. Inaction on the part of President Trump and the Republican leadership in Congress would all but guarantee major disruptions to our regional and national economies. I will continue to push the government to act.”

The century-old Portal Bridge, which carries thousands of passengers over the Hackensack River every day, is a major bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor. Replacement of the bridge is a key component of the Gateway Program, a comprehensive rail investment program to expand and create new capacity between New Jersey and New York City.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Congressman Payne, Jr. has stood for federal investment to address our country’s dire infrastructure needs, particularly in the Northeast. He has been an outspoken critic of President Trump’s proposed cuts to the New Starts program, which is essential to moving forward critical infrastructure projects like Gateway.

Congressman Payne, Jr. outlined his case for robust infrastructure spending in a recent op-ed in Roll Call.

Infrastructure Week, which takes place from May 15 – May 19, 2017, brings together leaders from the public and private sectors to raise awareness about why it is “Time to Build” better infrastructure for our country.