The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last week released preliminary renderings for a proposed replacement for the Goethals Bridge, which connects New Jersey and Staten Island.
The Port Authority earmarked $1 billion for the bridge in its 10-year capital plan, but the final costs have not been determined as it is still in the early design phase.
The authority said it would rather replace the 77-year-old bridge than spend hundreds of millions of dollars on rehabilitation. The new bridge could include mass transit and would have six 12-foot-wide lanes as well as a sidewalk and bikeway. The current bridge has four 10-foot-wide lanes, which is a source of congestion, the authority said.
The authority plans to begin awarding construction contracts in 2011 and to complete the bridge in 2015.