The Port Authority of NY and NJ, under its Goethals Bridge Modernization Program (GBMP), proposed to replace the existing Goethals Bridge. The purpose and need for the bridge replacement is that:

• The existing Bridge is functionally and physically deficient, with narrow lanes, no emergency shoulders, and a pronounced bend in the alignment of the approach span in New Jersey, all of which reduce traffic service, safety conditions, and the ability to quickly clear accidents;
  
  
• Increasing auto and truck volumes across the Bridge combine with the bridge’s deficiencies to further impair traffic conditions and increase accident levels;
  
  
• The Bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1928, requires ongoing repairs, maintenance, and rehabilitation at escalating costs;
  
  
• The Bridge’s layout limits the extent to which the widespread use of E-ZPass toll collection systems and technology improvements can be used to improve traffic flows;
  
  
• The Bridge’s layout cannot accommodate future transit service or priority-lane treatment that would require dedicated space on the bridge;
  
  
• The existing Bridge’s deficiencies reduce its utility and dependability for truck-based movement of cargo; and
  
  
• The existing Bridge’s deficiencies make it undependable as a link in the region’s transportation system for diversion of traffic from another transportation facility in the event of emergency.

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