The cantankerous Portal Bridge, famous for getting stuck in the open position and delaying tens of thousand of rail commuters, will never have to open to let a boat pass during rush hour again.

The U.S. Coast Guard will permanently ban opening the ancient Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny during the morning and evening commuter rush.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee, will announce Tuesday morning that the U.S. Coast Guard will make the peak rush hour marine traffic restrictions permanent. Menendez, Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ and Gov. Phil Murphy worked to get a temporary six-month ban that just ended.

Commuters have been exasperated by soul-crushing delays, while workers have to hammer pieces of the bridge over the Hackensack River in Kearny back in place after it’s been opened to let a boat pass.

“This is fantastic news for rail commuters and I applaud the Coast Guard for taking this significant step, but this is by no means the end of the line in our efforts to ensure we have a safe, reliable and modern transportation network,” Menendez said, referring to a project to replace Portal with a new bridge.

The Coast Guard tried a temporary ban for six months on a trial basis, starting last March. Close to 500 Amtrak and NJ Transit trains a day cross Portal Bridge, and that rate peaks to a train crossing the bridge every two minutes during rush hour.

A rule, making the prohibition permanent, is expected to be published in Federal Register this week. Under maritime law, drawbridges are required to open to allow marine traffic to pass or the owners of those spans could be fined $25,000 per incident.

Amtrak’s Portal Bridge, which carries the busy Northeast Corridor line, is approaching its 109th birthday late next month. Ultimately plans call for building a new $1.5 billion Portal Bridge. Menendez said true peace of mind for riders won’t come until that project starts.

“We are sitting on a transportation ticking time bomb and must move forward on Gateway without further delay,” he said.

The effort to prohibit bridge openings during the morning and evening rush hour started last November after Menendez, Booker and Murphy wrote to the commandant of the United States Coast Guard. Amtrak and NJ Transit officials backed the request last December.

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They asked the Coast Guard to close a loophole that allowed boat crews to ask for the bridge to be opened during a limited time period during the commuting rush, as long as they call one hour ahead of time. Since the temporary ban, no rush hour delays have been reported due to problems closing the bridge.

"Senator Menendez deserves much credit for pushing this effort and I will continue to work with him and all Gateway supporters to move this vital project forward for the good of the whole region and the American economy,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY.

The next milestone is to win Federal Transit Administration approval of a grant application to help New Jersey and Amtrak fund a $1.5 billion Portal Bridge replacement.

A revised grant application was submitted to the Federal Transit Administration in September after the Murphy administration’s commitment to increase the state’s funding share of Portal Bridge to $600 million and demonstrate that costs had been cut. That project would build a higher two-track replacement bridge that doesn’t have to open to let barges pass underneath.

“Last month, we submitted our revised financial plan to the FTA to advance the construction of a modern replacement for this 109-year-old single point of failure on the Northeast Corridor,” said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO and President. "We eagerly await FTA approval to move this critical, shovel-ready project forward, which is the ultimate solution to the conflict with marine traffic.”

A second two-track Portal Bridge would be constructed as part of Amtrak’s larger Gateway Project. Gateway would build two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River, an annex to Penn Station New York, two more tracks between Secaucus Junction station and the tunnels and a loop for Bergen County trains to access the Northeast Corridor.

Although a new Portal Bridge is designed and is ready to go to construction, funding has been caught up in bickering between the Trump Administration and the state’s Congressional delegation over funding the larger Gateway Tunnel project that Portal Bridge is part of. Trump wanted Gateway money out of the federal budget, the congressional delegation fought to fund work toward building two new Hudson River rail tunnels in the budget. Those tunnels also were built in 1910.

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

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