That decision is good news for commuters like Oscar Barillas, who rides New Jersey Transit trains daily to get to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan from Elizabeth, N.J.

Mr. Barillas said he had sat through his share of delays caused by Portal Bridge openings. “Usually when that happens, it takes like 30 to 45 minutes because everything stops,” he said.

Of course, for Mr. Barillas and many commuters who rely on New Jersey Transit, the Portal Bridge has been a lesser evil.

This summer, he said, there seemed to be delays during the evening rush nearly every day that were blamed on either mechanical problems or a shortage of engineers to drive the trains.

“It’s a good idea not to mess with that bridge,” Mr. Barillas said. But, he added, “that’s not going to solve this mess.”

Still, the ultimate fix, a new bridge, is still a ways away.

Commuters will have to depend on the old Portal for at least five more years because a plan to replace it is mired in a political standoff in Washington. The new bridge, which would be high enough that boats could pass under it, has an estimated cost of $1.6 billion.

Amtrak, the national railroad that owns the bridge, and its partners in the project are asking the federal Department of Transportation to cover half of the cost. New Jersey has already committed to pay $600 million, and state officials say that the only obstacle to starting construction is the Trump administration’s resistance.