Because the Bayonne Bridge is only 151 feet above the water, larger container ships often cannot cross under it to reach our marine terminals – Port Newark, Elizabeth and Howland Hook in Staten Island. The expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to result in a shift to larger, cleaner, more-efficient ships servicing our region and other East Coast markets. In order to ensure these new ships can reach our ports, the clearance limitation must be addressed. 

Raise the Bridge or Lower the River?

For the ports of NY and NJ to remain competitive in the super container vessels age we will have to either raise the bridges or lower the river by dredging in order to accommodate the larger vessels. As we move the ships further up into the Atlantic Ocean Ports and Gulf Ports we start to see some new issues arising in doing business in the US. Among the biggest are our highway and waterway infrastructure.