The Bayonne Bridge before the roadway was raised. Source: NYPA

A joint venture of HDR and WSP USA received the Grand Conceptor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies for Raising the Bayonne Bridge: Milestone 1 Completion project.

A landmark of the New York/New Jersey area for nearly a century, the Bayonne Bridge faced a critical juncture: Following the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Bayonne's 151-foot navigational clearance wasn't high enough for the newest shipping vessels to access the Eastern Seaboard's busiest ports.

To allow larger "Panamax" ships to enter the ports of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the HDR/WSP USA joint venture design team sought to raise the Bayonne Bridge by 64 feet, to 215 feet. In 2013, the Port Authority's board of directors approved $1.29 billion for the project.

When complete, the bridge will be wider and safer for motorists and pedestrians. The raised roadway enables safe passage of Panamax ships up to 18,000 TEU units (a standard cargo container size).

(Click to enlarge.) The bridge following construction. Note the location of the old roadway. With additional weight on the structure, the team added more than 4,000 tons of steel plates to strengthen the bridge, accommodate higher wind loads and allow future light rail. The reinforcement also brought the bridge into compliance with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design standards. The 160-foot-tall approach piers were designed to resemble the original 1930s' piers, with curved arches.

The Bayonne Bridge was designed by Othmar H. Ammann and is the fourth-longest steel arch bridge in the world. Construction began in September 1928 and was completed in 1931. The primary purpose of the bridge was to allow vehicular traffic from Staten Island to reach Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel.

The new elevated roadway opened to traffic on Feb. 20, 2017. Milestone 2, completion of the entire bridge structure, is expected in mid-2019.