The Port Authority of NY & NJ, under its Goethals Bridge Modernization Program (GBMP), has 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 82-year-old Bridge 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;
  
  
• 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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