View source for Goethals Bridge

{{short description|Bridge between New Jersey and New York}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name = Goethals Bridge
| image = New Goethals Bridge from airplane cropped.jpg
| image_upright = 1.3
| caption = Aerial view of the Goethals Bridge (top left) with the [[Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge]] at bottom right
| official_name = 
| also_known_as = 
| carries = 6 lanes of {{jct|country=USA|I|278}}
| crosses = [[Arthur Kill]]
| locale = [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] and [[Howland Hook, Staten Island|Howland Hook]], [[Staten Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| coordinates = {{Coord|40|38|08|N|74|11|50|W|region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| maint = [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]
| id = 3800072
| design = [[Twin bridges|Dual-span]] [[cable-stayed bridge|cable-stayed bridge]]
| mainspan = {{cvt|672|ft}}<ref name="PANYNJ Facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-facts-info.html |title=Facts & Info - Goethals Bridge |work=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey |access-date=February 27, 2010 |archive-date=February 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228025104/http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-facts-info.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| length = {{cvt|7109|ft}}<ref name="PANYNJ Facts"/>
| width = {{cvt|62|ft}}<ref name="PANYNJ Facts"/>
| clearance = {{cvt|14|ft}}
| below = {{cvt|140|ft}}<ref name="PANYNJ Facts"/>
| traffic = 82,852 (2016)<ref name="nycdot16">{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bridge-traffic-report-2016.pdf |title=New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes |date=2016 |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |page=11 |access-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311161313/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bridge-traffic-report-2016.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| cost = $1,250,000,000 (replacement span)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smisek |first=Peter |date=March 14, 2019 |title=Replacing New York's Goethals Bridge |url=https://www.theb1m.com/video/replacing-new-yorks-goethals-bridge |access-date=March 7, 2023 |website=The B1M |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308012431/https://www.theb1m.com/video/replacing-new-yorks-goethals-bridge |url-status=live }}</ref>
| open = {{start date and age|2017|6|10}} (eastbound)<br />{{start date and age|2018|5|21}} (westbound)
| closed = 
| replaces = [[Goethals Bridge (1928–2017)]]
| toll = {{PANYNJ toll rates|goethals=y}}
}}

The '''Goethals Bridge''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɒ|θ|əl|z}}) is a pair of [[cable-stayed bridge]] spans connecting [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]], [[New Jersey]], to [[Staten Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. The spans cross a strait known as [[Arthur Kill]], and replaced a [[cantilever bridge]] span built in 1928. The bridge is operated by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]].

The New Jersey side is about {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} south of [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]. The bridge and its predecessor are named for Major General [[George Washington Goethals]], who supervised construction of the [[Panama Canal]] and was the first consulting engineer of the Port Authority.

The eastbound span opened on June 10, 2017, at which time the original span was closed. The old cantilever span was dismantled in January 2018 and the new westbound span opened on May 21, 2018.

== Original bridge ==
{{main article|Goethals Bridge (1928–2017)}}
[[File:Goethals Bridge.JPG|thumb|left|The original Goethals Bridge, seen from Staten Island in 2004]]

The original Goethals bridge was a four lane steel truss [[cantilever]] design by [[John Alexander Low Waddell]], who also designed the nearby [[Outerbridge Crossing]]. It had a  {{cvt|672|ft|m}} long central span, was {{convert|7,109|ft|m}} long, {{convert|62|ft|m}} wide, and had a vertical clearance of {{convert|135|ft|m}}.<ref name="Citycyclopedia">{{cite enc-nyc|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780300055368/page/471 471] }}</ref>

== Planning for a new bridge ==
Starting in 1985, the Port Authority looked at 27 different alternatives to add capacity between Staten Island and New Jersey. By 1990, senior executives decided that the best way to accommodate growth was to build a new span, parallel to the existing Goethals Bridge. In October 1997, the Port Authority issued a final [[environmental impact statement]], but by that time Staten Island officials had lined up against the project, citing the potential for increased traffic through their borough.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Plotch |first=Philip |title=Mobilizing the Metropolis: How the Port Authority Built New York |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-0472056132 |pages=194–201}}</ref>

A Port Authority study initiated in 2001 suggested that the optimal solution was an entirely new span.<ref name=":1" /> The choosing of a full replacement option was followed by the submittal of several design alternatives, alongside a "no build" option. The new bridge design, upon the completion of the westbound span, also included additional lanes of traffic, high-speed [[E-ZPass]] lanes, and a reconstruction and widening of [[Interstate 278]] from exit 4 in [[New York (state)|New York]] ([[New York State Route 440|NY 440]] south) to [[New Jersey Route 439|Route&nbsp;439]] in New Jersey. The span was demolished starting in January 2018, after the opening of the replacement bridges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abc7ny.com/traffic/watch-time-lapse-video-shows-dismantling-of-local-bridge/2971545/ |title=Time-lapse video shows dismantling of local bridge |date=January 20, 2018 |publisher=[[WABC-TV]] |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613040821/https://abc7ny.com/traffic/watch-time-lapse-video-shows-dismantling-of-local-bridge/2971545/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==New bridge==
[[Image:Goethals bridge concept.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|A 2007 [[3D computer graphics|3D rendering]] of one proposed replacement bridge]]
[[Image:Goethals replacement diagram.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|A diagram comparing the four replacement alternatives and their position relative to the old bridge]]
The initial alternatives put forth in mid-2006 included the option of twin three-lane replacement bridges north and south of the original alignment, which was eliminated; and twin three-lane replacement bridges (one south, and one along the original alignment), with the latter being built after the demolition of the original bridge, which was refined to be a single-span bridge instead of twin bridges. The twin-bridge alternative was dropped because of a height restriction set up by the [[FAA]] to prevent interferences with flights at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]. The Goethals Bridge towers were not to exceed 272 feet in height and required to slant outwards because of aircraft flight patterns. This would also prevent ice from falling onto the roadway during winter months.<ref name="Engineering News-Record">{{cite web |last1=Stabile |first1=Tom |date=September 27, 2018 |title=Goethals Bridge: ENR New York's Project of the Year |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/45224-goethals-bridge-enr-new-yorks-project-of-the-year |website=www.enr.com |publisher=Engineering News-Record |access-date=28 September 2020 |language=en |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923115030/https://www.enr.com/articles/45224-goethals-bridge-enr-new-yorks-project-of-the-year |url-status=live }}</ref> Public [[Open house (common school event)|open houses]] were held in Staten Island and [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]], and the Draft [[Environmental Impact Statement]] (DEIS) was issued. Formal public hearings on the DEIS were held in July 2009.<ref name="EIS Overview">{{cite web |url=https://www.goethalseis.com/overview/deis_published.aspx |title=Draft EIS Published |access-date=December 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207034453/https://www.goethalseis.com/overview/deis_published.aspx |archive-date=December 7, 2012}}</ref>

All alternatives proposed that the bridge be single level, cable-stayed, double spans, separated by towers with a height of {{convert|135|ft|m}} above the [[Ordinary high water mark|high-water mark]] of the [[Arthur Kill]] shipping channel. The {{cvt|900|ft|m}} main span<ref name="Engineering News-Record"/> of each bridge holds three {{cvt|12|ft|m}} lanes with a {{cvt|12|ft|m}} outer shoulder and {{cvt|5|ft|m}} inner shoulder. The westbound span features a new {{cvt|10|ft|m}} walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, permanent access roads would be built under the bridge on land for maintenance, security, and construction purposes.<ref name="fallnews">{{cite web |url=https://www.goethalseis.com/overview/pdf/newsletter_fall07.pdf |title=Refinement of Alternatives for EIS Analysis |access-date=December 4, 2012 |archive-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224225008/https://www.goethalseis.com/overview/pdf/newsletter_fall07.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lastly, space would be left in between the two bridges to accommodate potential mass-transit services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.panynj.gov/goethalsbridge/ |title=Goethals Bridge Replacement |access-date=December 4, 2012 |archive-date=December 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202215841/https://www.panynj.gov/goethalsbridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.silive.com/news/2017/06/5_facts_you_need_to_know_about_1.html |title=5 facts you need to know about the new Goethals Bridge |last=Lore |first=Diane C. |date=June 10, 2017 |work=Staten Island Advance |access-date=October 5, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005203308/https://www.silive.com/news/2017/06/5_facts_you_need_to_know_about_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For mass transit, studies indicated that a bus-only lane was not economically viable but that a [[high-occupancy vehicle lane]] open to buses as well as high-occupancy autos would be appropriate during rush hours if traffic supported it. Provision for rail transit was rejected; however, planners decided that whatever alternative was constructed, the design and structural integrity should ideally be able to be retrofitted for such at a later date. The suggestion for a freight rail connection was dismissed as uneconomical.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A10106&term=2017&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Text=Y&Committee%2526nbspVotes=Y&Floor%2526nbspVotes=Y |title=New York State Assembly {{!}} Bill Search and Legislative Information |website=assembly.state.ny.us |access-date=2020-04-11 |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324035746/https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A10106&term=2017&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Text=Y&Committee%2526nbspVotes=Y&Floor%2526nbspVotes=Y |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Goethals Bridge 04 - New bridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|From the new eastbound bridge, looking westward]]

Also as part of the construction, improvements to approaches and nearby interchanges were made. These include the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] exit 13 toll plaza, the Staten Island toll plaza, and the [[Interstate 278]]/[[New York State Route 440|NY 440]] interchange. In addition, while separate from the bridge replacement project, the [[New Jersey Department of Transportation]] may construct full movements at the [[Interstate 278]]/[[U.S. Route 1/9]] junction to coincide with the bridge's replacement.<ref name="interchange project">{{cite web |title=Goethals Bridge Interchange Ramps – "Missing Links" |url=http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-missing-links.html |website=The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: Bridges and Tunnels |publisher=The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |access-date=April 27, 2017 |archive-date=April 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425131027/http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-missing-links.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 24, 2013, the Port Authority approved the $1.5-billion Goethals Bridge Project<ref name="Engineering News-Record"/> for preliminary funding, and broke ground in May 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.silive.com/specialreports/index.ssf/2014/06/staten_island_developments_map.html |title=An interactive map of planned developments in the next decade |date=June 2, 2014 |access-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145134/https://www.silive.com/specialreports/index.ssf/2014/06/staten_island_developments_map.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The old bridge was closed on June 9, 2017, with eastbound traffic using the new eastbound bridge starting on June 10<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2017/06/11/first-span-of-new-goethals-bridge-opens/ |title=First span of new Goethals Bridge opens |last=Fugallo |first=Nick |date=June 11, 2017 |website=New York Post |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612122143/http://nypost.com/2017/06/11/first-span-of-new-goethals-bridge-opens/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and westbound traffic opening the next day.<ref name="Porpora 2017">{{cite web |last=Porpora |first=Tracey |title=Goethals Bridge now open in both directions |website=SILive.com |date=June 11, 2017 |url=http://www.silive.com/news/2017/06/goethals_bridge_now_open_in_bo.html |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=June 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611201020/http://www.silive.com/news/2017/06/goethals_bridge_now_open_in_bo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Initially, the new eastbound span carried 2 lanes of traffic in each direction, with each lane 11 feet wide until the new westbound span was complete. Once completed, the new westbound span restored pedestrian and bicycle access.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nj.gov/transportation/commuter/bike/bridges.shtm |title=Bridges and Tunnels |access-date=December 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101221046/http://www.nj.gov/transportation/commuter/bike/bridges.shtm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Westbound traffic was shifted from the new eastbound span to the newly opened westbound span on May 21, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.silive.com/news/2018/05/new_goethals_bridge_open_for_n.html |title=First a.m. rush hour for new Goethals Bridge to New Jersey |last=Grunlund |first=Maura |date=2018-05-21 |work=SILive.com |access-date=2018-05-21 |language=en-US |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522054451/http://www.silive.com/news/2018/05/new_goethals_bridge_open_for_n.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/05/21/new-goethals-bridge-westbound-span-now-open/ |title=New Goethals Bridge Westbound Span Now Open |date=May 21, 2018 |website=CBS New York |access-date=May 21, 2018 |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522112349/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/05/21/new-goethals-bridge-westbound-span-now-open/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The bikeway and pedestrian walkway was set to open by mid-2018<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silive.com/news/2018/05/goethals_bridge_walkwaybikeway.html |title=Goethals Bridge walkway/bikeway to open by end of summer |last=Bascome |first=Erik |date=May 21, 2018 |website=SILive.com |access-date=May 21, 2018 |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522113646/http://www.silive.com/news/2018/05/goethals_bridge_walkwaybikeway.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but was then pushed back to an undetermined date.<ref>{{cite web |last=Strunsky |first=Steve |title=or bike - to Staten Island |website=nj.com |date=November 10, 2018 |url=https://www.nj.com/union/2018/11/new_goethals_bridge_bike_walkway.html |access-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530142108/https://www.nj.com/union/2018/11/new_goethals_bridge_bike_walkway.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The bike path and pedestrian walkway finally opened on March 4, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bascome |first=Erik |title=First Staten Islander bikes across Goethals Bridge as shared-use path opens |website=silive |date=March 4, 2020 |url=https://www.silive.com/news/2020/03/first-staten-islander-bikes-across-goethals-bridge-as-shared-use-path-opens.html |access-date=March 5, 2020 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022033310/https://www.silive.com/news/2020/03/first-staten-islander-bikes-across-goethals-bridge-as-shared-use-path-opens.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Goethals Bridge Replacement Project was given several prestigious awards upon its completion. In the highway/bridge category, the project won an ENR New York Best Projects and the Excellence in safety award, and it received the ENR New York's Project of the Year for 2018.<ref name="Engineering News-Record"/>

==Tolls==
{{As of|2025|01|05|df=us}}, the tolls-by-mail rate going from [[New Jersey]] to [[New York City]] is $18.31 for cars and motorcycles; there is no toll for passenger vehicles going from New York City to New Jersey. New Jersey and New York–issued [[E-ZPass]] users are charged $14.06 for cars and $13.06 for motorcycles during off-peak hours, and $16.06 for cars and $15.06 for motorcycles during peak hours. Users with E-ZPass issued from agencies outside of New Jersey and New York are charged the tolls-by-mail rate.<ref name="tolls">{{cite web | title=2025 Tolls |publisher=Port Authority of New York & New Jersey | url=https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/en/tolls/2025-tolls.html | access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref> Frequent users traveling more than three trips per month can receive discounts under the "Staten Island Bridges Plan" ($8.03 per trip for cars at all times).<ref name="tolls"/> From July 2025, the Mid-Tier rate {{Show by date|2025|07|06|will be|is}} $18.72, while the toll-by-mail rate {{Show by date|2025|07|06|will be|is}} $22.38.<ref>{{cite web | last=Higgs | first=Larry | title=PATH fare hike in new Port Authority budget. See how much you will have to pay. | website=nj | date=November 14, 2024 | url=https://www.nj.com/news/2024/11/path-fare-hike-in-new-port-authority-budget-see-how-much-you-will-have-to-pay.html | access-date=May 29, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kiefer | first=Eric | title=Toll Hikes At GWB, Lincoln Tunnel Proposed In Port Authority Budget | website=Montclair, NJ Patch | date=November 14, 2024 | url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/toll-hikes-lincoln-tunnel-gwb-proposed-port-authority-budget | access-date=May 29, 2025}}</ref>

Tolls are only collected for eastbound traffic. Originally, tolls were collected in both directions. In August 1970, the toll was abolished for westbound drivers, and at the same time, eastbound drivers saw their tolls doubled. The tolls of eleven other New York–New Jersey and Hudson River crossings along a {{convert|130|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch, from the Outerbridge Crossing in the south to the [[Rip Van Winkle Bridge]] in the north, were also changed to south- or eastbound-only at that time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Moran |first=Nancy |title=One-Way Tolls Confusing Some Drivers |website=The New York Times |date=August 13, 1970 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/13/archives/oneway-tolls-confusing-some-drivers.html |access-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627214550/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/13/archives/oneway-tolls-confusing-some-drivers.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Open road tolling|Open-road cashless tolling]] began on September 4, 2019. The tollbooths were dismantled, and drivers are no longer able to pay cash at the bridge. Instead, there are cameras mounted onto new overhead gantries located on the Staten Island side. A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll is mailed to its owner. For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.silive.com/news/2018/06/goethals_outerbridge_to_get_ca.html |title=Goethals, Outerbridge to get cashless tolling in 2019 |last=Bascome |first=Erik |date=June 28, 2018 |website=silive.com |language=en-US |access-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321165414/https://www.silive.com/news/2018/06/goethals_outerbridge_to_get_ca.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.silive.com/news/2019/03/cashless-tolling-for-outerbridge-crossing-expected-by-end-of-april.html |title=Cashless tolling for Outerbridge Crossing expected by end of April |last=Bascome |first=Erik |date=March 15, 2019 |website=silive.com |language=en-US |access-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321165408/https://www.silive.com/news/2019/03/cashless-tolling-for-outerbridge-crossing-expected-by-end-of-april.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Transport}}
* {{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
* {{Portal-inline|New Jersey}}
* {{Portal-inline|New York (state)}}
* {{Portal-inline|New York City}}
* [[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey]]
* [[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Goethals Bridge}}
* [http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge.html Goethals Bridge Official Site] by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
* [http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-replacement.html Goethals Bridge Replacement]
* {{Structurae |title=Goethals Bridge}}

{{NYC Bridge}}
{{PANYNJ navbox}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure        = Bridges
|place            = [[Arthur Kill]]
|bridge           = Goethals Bridge
|bridge signs     = [[Image:I-278.svg|25px]]
|upstream         = [[Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge]]
|upstream signs   =
|downstream       = [[Outerbridge Crossing]]
|downstream signs = [[Image:Ellipse sign 440.svg|25px]] [[Image:NY-440.svg|25px]] [[Image:County 501.svg|25px]]
}}
{{Portal bar|New York City|New Jersey}}

[[Category:2017 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:2017 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bicyclable and walkable bridges on the Interstate Highway System]]
[[Category:Bike paths in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bike paths in New York City]]
[[Category:Bridges in Staten Island]]
[[Category:Bridges in Union County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 2017]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Elizabeth, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Cable-stayed bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Interstate 78]]
[[Category:Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Port Authority of New York and New Jersey crossings]]
[[Category:Road bridges in New York City]]
[[Category:Road bridges in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Toll bridges in New York City]]
[[Category:Toll bridges in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Tolled sections of Interstate Highways]]
[[Category:Transportation in Elizabeth, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Transportation projects in New York City]]