Dock Openings

[OportRailfan]

Anyone know the reason for all of the openings of Dock Bridge in the past few nights?

I've been getting alerts about delays with its openings the past 3 nights?

[PONYA]

Business is booming on ye olde Passaic River. Required lifts took place for marine traffic. Amtrak who owns and maintains the bridge had difficulty closing {locking} the bridge. The bridge on PATH end has not been lifted in many years do due Amtrak repair issues. Within the last 6 months after the Coast Guard was notified by tug companys of future needs to move up river, Amtrak made repairs.
The bridge should be considered a "work in progress". Maybe the infusion of 500 mil. by Congress for Amtrak will trickle down to the Dock Bridge.

[Head-end View]

Maybe they'll repaint it too. It looks horrible.

[OportRailfan]

Maybe they'll repaint it too. It looks horrible.

That's for sure...but there's no money for aesthetic stuff...still...it'd be nice

[Frank]

Maybe they'll repaint it too. It looks horrible.

That's for sure...but there's no money for aesthetic stuff...still...it'd be nice

Is the bridge still in good shape? The bridge has a lot of rust on it!

[R36 Combine Coach]

If you look at some older photos (1960s/70s) the Dock Bridges were silver-grey. Now they are dark charcoal with brown rust. The twin spans, I tend to refer to one as the "thin twin" and the other as the "fat twin", the latter the east span for PATH and Amtrak/NJT track 1, with the thin one for the other Amtrak/NJT tracks (2/3/4). The west span was built in 1935 when Newark Penn Station opened and the east span in 1937 when H&M was rerouted into Penn.

[sixty-six]

Whoa whoa WHOA...DOCK still opens??

[OportRailfan]

believe it or not...there were a few path alerts with NWK service suspended due to it being stuck open/unable to lock

[R36 Combine Coach]

How about PATH's Hack Bridge? That isn't raised as frequent as its Conrail and Wittpenn neighbors, but it is an active movable span. The Hess barges along the Hackensack can it under it, unlike the Conrail lift span (8 foot over mean high water).

[ryanov]

Maybe they'll repaint it too. It looks horrible.

That's for sure...but there's no money for aesthetic stuff...still...it'd be nice

Paint is there for more than just aesthetics.

[oknazevad]

Ryan's right. On a metal bridge over water (especially the brackish water of the Passaic and the Hackensack), the paint protects the steel from exposure to and corrosion by the elements. Its a relatively cheap way to ensure long life for something as critical as these bridges.

[OportRailfan]

well with their current condition, it leads one to wonder when the last time Amtrak splurged and painted the bridges.

[Ken W2KB]

Will be not opening weekends for a while. Follows non-copyrighted notice. What is odd is that the notice states "The Amtrak Dock Bridge has not received a request to open for vessel traffic since 2004." but I saw a boat opening a few months ago.

Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Passaic River, Harrison, NJ, Maintenance
28 May 2009
Department of Homeland Security Documents

United States Coast Guard

SUMMARY: The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of the Amtrak Dock Bridge across the Passaic River, mile 5.0, at Harrison, New Jersey. This deviation will allow the bridge to remain closed all day on Saturday and Sunday for nine weekends to facilitate track repairs.

DATES: This deviation is effective from May 30, 2009 through August 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Documents mentioned in this preamble as being available in the docket are part of docket USCG-2009-0351 and are available Online at http: // www.regulations.gov [http://www.regulations.gov]. They are also available for inspection or copying at the Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this rule, call or e-mail Mr. Joe Arca, Project Officer, First Coast Guard District, telephone (212) 668-7165, e-mail [email protected]. If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Amtrak Dock Bridge at mile 5.0, across the Passaic River, at Harrison New Jersey, has a vertical clearance in the closed position of 35 feet at mean high water and 40 feet at mean low water.

The owner of the bridge, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, requested this temporary deviation to facilitate track repairs to be conducted on nine weekends at the bridge. The bridge can not open during the prosecution of these repairs and the work must be conducted on weekends because during week days the frequency of rail traffic crossings is prohibitive. Vessels able to pass under the closed draw may do so at all times.

The Amtrak Dock Bridge has not received a request to open for vessel traffic since 2004.

Under this temporary deviation the Amtrak Dock Bridge may remain in the closed position all day on Saturday and Sunday on the following weekends: May 30 and 31; June 6 and 7; June 13 and 14; June 20 and 21; June 27 and 28; July 11 and 12; July 18 and 19; July 25 and 26, and August 1 and 2, 2009.

In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the bridge must return to its regular operating schedule immediately at the end of the designated time period. This deviation from the operating regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35.

Dated: May 13, 2009.

Gary Kassof,

Bridge Program Manager, First Coast Guard District.

Notice of temporary deviation from regulations.

CFR Part: "33 CFR Part 117"

Citation: "74 FR 25448"

Document Number: "Docket No. USCG-2009-0351"

Federal Register Page Number: "25448"

"Rules and Regulations"

[TREnecNYP]

Dock needs a paint job in a really bad way. It makes newark look like a junkpile of run-down-ness especially compared to the DL&W and the road bridge by newark broad. Most of the cat towers between philly and nyp need a paint too, and no it's not just for looks, though it would be better than the rusted out sad sorry look they sport now. PC's deferred maintenance is becoming a real headache for NJT, SEPTA, Amtrak & so on.

They really need to have a "good state of repair" rail transportation bill that fixes everything up, especially newark penn, many SEPTA and NJT stations, as well as a few on LIRR, MBTA, New Haven etc etc. Bill would cover ME, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA & OH. Dump 300 billion dollars into these projects over the span of 10 years, all aimed at right of way, related support infrastructure, rails, tracks, power supply & distribution, stations especially station platforms, interlockings, moveable bridges, cat towers, 3rd rails, all of it. Then spend another 100 billion on rolling stock to get everything modernized and then we can call it even (the government owes the railroads this in my opinion).

Wishful thinking sadly.

- A

[OportRailfan]

Semi-relevant - Dock Bridge opening, with PATH not cooperating and opening their span.

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