With 2019 almost over, the moveable section of the new Wittpenn bridge is still sitting in a barge almost two years after it was floated to New Jersey from Oregon through the Panama Canal with a bit of fanfare.

More importantly, traffic is still using the 1930s era bridge it was supposed to replace by now. Initially, the new $480 million lift bridge was originally scheduled to open this year and demolition of the old bridge was supposed to start.

The date to hoist that piece of the new lift bridge in place has been pushed back through 2019 and now appears to be delayed until 2020. Now, the bridge deck is parked on a barge in the Hackensack River.

“Traffic is expected to be shifted onto the new bridge next winter (2020-2021),” said Steve Schapiro, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Why the delay? Officials blamed more challenging work to install the machinery, cables and counterweights needed to lift the center portion of the bridge to permit ships to pass underneath it.

That center section is a lighter orthotropic bridge deck, which is being used for the first time in New Jersey and is expected to last for 100 years, according to the DOT. Orthotropic decks replaced old concrete bridge decks on the Whitestone Bridge in New York and the Golden Gate bridge.

It’s one of the reasons why the boxy towers on the new bridge look different than the old Wittpenn bridge. Winter weather in 2018 also was blamed for delaying the project.

A US Coast Guard boat passes a barge carrying the "lift" part of the new Wittpenn bridge deck that bridge deck that will carry Route 7 over the Hackensack River connecting Kearny and Jersey City.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Installing the orthotropic bridge deck will require a 21-day closing of the Hackensack River. Lifting it in place and installing it will take 14 days, according to the DOT.

Meanwhile, work has visibly progressed on the approach roads to the new bridge from the west during the year. Three of five contracts built the west approach spans and the Fish House Road Pump Station, did extensive utility relocation, and constructed a new embankment where ramps will connect the new bridge to the roads, Schapiro said.

Early next year, traffic patterns on the existing Route 7 will be changed on both sides of the river, Schapiro said. That allows construction crews to complete the flyover ramps in Kearny and to connect the new bridge to the elevated Route 1&9 Truck Roadway in Jersey City.

Drivers will see an effect on traffic, Schapiro cautioned. Traffic on Route 1&9 Truck north to Route 7 will be detoured to Route 1&9 Southbound. On the Kearny side, Route 7 west will be split to allow for construction of new bridge piers. The overall project is still expected to be completed in late 2022, he said.

Compared to the old Wittpenn bridge, the new span soars higher because it has a 70-foot clearance over the water. Once finished, traffic disruptions should be reduced, because the bridge will only have to be opened for the largest boats.

In November 2011, NJDOT began construction on the first contract of the $480 million federally-funded Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge project .

When it finally opens, the new bridge will continue to bear the name of Henry Otto Wittpenn, a former Jersey City mayor and state highway department member who died in 1931.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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