Construction is underway on a replacement for the Newark Bay Bridge, also known as the Casciano Memorial Bridge, which carries about 95,000 vehicles daily on the New Jersey Turnpike extension between New Jersey and the New York City area.

Opened in 1956 and nearing the end of its usable life, the existing bridge will remain open while the replacement is built, with completion expected in 2031.

The new cable-stayed bridge will rise just north of the existing one, with two lanes in each direction and full shoulders to improve safety and give emergency vehicles access.

The project is expected to cost more than $6.7 billion, making it the most expensive single effort pursued by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and will be funded by toll revenue; tolls have risen 3% annually since 2020, but Gov. Mikie Sherrill has not said whether those increases will continue.

The project was scaled back from a $10.7 billion proposal that called for two replacement bridges and widening the extension through Jersey City toward the Holland Tunnel; environmentalists and community groups objected to the added pollution and noise, and the extra lanes were later dropped.

Work in Newark Bay has begun, temporary construction trestles are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, and the Turnpike Authority expects to award the bridge-construction contract in March.

The groundbreaking coincided with the New Jersey Turnpike’s 75th anniversary; the highway carries about 260 million vehicles annually, according to Turnpike Authority executive director Kris Kolluri.