Signature Cable-Stayed Bridge Unit

Goethals Bridge is a 1,800-ft long cable-stayed unit with a 900-ft main span. The 176-ft wide roadway accommodates 3-vehicular traffic lanes in each direction, mass transit corridor, a separate bikeway, and generous shoulders. The tower height limitations imposed due to the nearby Newark Airport did not permit the geometric proportions of a traditional cable-stayed bridge. In addition, some uncertainty of the right-of-way required a bridge alternative capable of half-width construction as a way of managing traffic during construction to facilitate existing bridge removal. Sena Kumarasena, Ph.D., PE served as the Lead Engineer for the concept development through 30% stage design of the cable-stayed unit. Sena successfully developed a hybrid alternative between a traditional cable-stayed bridge and an extradosed bridge that consisted of four cable planes and was capable of half-width construction. This unique bridge concept was able to meet all the constraints while also meeting the cost efficiency, ease of maintenance, and the one-of-a-kind esthetic elegance that the PANYNJ was looking for on this project. It was selected for advancing to the final design stage by the PANYNJ, and as the project procurement changed to a P3, was then used as the baseline design for advertising.