New NYC-area bridge ‘a monument, a commitment to public works’

The New York Times interviewed David Alff, associate professor of English, about the opening of the new Portal North Bridge, which will begin serving passengers traveling from Manhattan to Newark and beyond, replacing the 116-year-old Portal Bridge. The bridge’s debut is the culmination of decades of planning, over $2 billion in funding and nearly four years of construction, including a recent spell that disrupted commutes for a month while the new bridge was connected to the existing tracks of the Northeast Corridor. “This is a miracle,” said Alff, author of “The Northeast Corridor,” a 2024 book about the history of the line.  “It’s a monument, a commitment to public works and a testament to good planning and to every who keeps the corridor running.”