The new Goethals Bridge environmental impact statement is underway, and has screened out several implausible project alternatives suggested during the public "scoping" process.

These include a Goethals tunnel, which the Port Authority says would cost far more than bridge options and a new alignment to avoid wetlands, which the agency says is prohibitive because of land acquisition costs and other land use conflicts. Also ruled out is a double-decked replacement bridge, which the PA says will cost more but not create any more benefit than other bridge concepts. The agency says simply fixing the existing bridge will fail to meet its goal of creating safer lane widths and increasing its ability to keep traffic moving when vehicle crashes occur on the span.

The remaining options for examination in the draft EIS are a replacement bridge (removing the existing span), the previously rejected "twin" alongside a refurbished existing bridge and tearing down the old bridge for replacement with a new set of "twins." The EIS will also look at the possibility of new bus rapid transit and ferry services in the Elizabeth-Staten Island corridor and examine roadway pricing scenarios such as high-occupancy toll lanes and further peak/off-peak price differentials (the bridge is already subject to the PA congestion pricing toll schedule implemented early in 2001). The study will also look at the impact at the Goethals of planned and future rail freight projects between New Jersey and Staten Island.

Unless the PA seeks to advance a project design that would add to the number of traffic lanes in the I-278 corridor and thus promote a future expansion of the SI Expressway, the main environmental issues the project will have to address are likely to be wetlands and other impacts of building a new bridge in an alignment slightly to the north or south of the existing Goethals span. The PA anticipates hearings on the EIS draft in the spring of 2006. 

MTR back issues:

Go to index of all Mobilizing the Region back issues.