McGreevey Announces $84 Million Award
to rebuild NJ Parkway Bridge over the Raritan

“Today’s action marks the beginning of a long-awaited project to provide relief to the hundreds of thousand of New Jersey drivers who cross the Driscoll Bridge every day," said McGreevey. “It also clearly demonstrates the value of Project Labor Agreements in saving taxpayer dollars – in this instance nearly $25 million in savings that can now be spent on other vital maintenance projects to the state’s transportation infrastructure.”

The $84 million construction contract was awarded to PKF-Mark III, Inc. of Newtown, Pennsylvania. A second contract for inspecting and coordinating construction of the new bridge and approaches was awarded to DMJM & Harris of Iselin for $9.5 million.

In April of this year, Governor McGreevey announced an historic and unprecedented interagency agreement between the New Jersey Highway Authority and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority wherein the Turnpike would contribute approximately $135 million to pay for the reconstruction of the bridge.

The Highway Authority, which operates the Parkway, will provide approximately $40 million. The project is expected to be completed by 2005.

The bridge is used by 80 million cars each year and a quarter of those cars use the bridge to access the Turnpike. Since neither agency has the capacity of tackle this project alone, Governor McGreevey and New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Fox brought together the Turnpike and the Parkway under a unique financing plan to ensure the project’s completion.

Currently, the Driscoll Bridge carries six narrow travel lanes each northbound and southbound with no shoulders. The structure is both structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The deck of the existing northbound bridge has severely deteriorated and is in need of replacement. Pieces of concrete have been fallen on the ground below and holes have appeared in the deck of the bridge.