New Jersey
NJ Transit, Amtrak rail riders face month of commuting hell over bridge project
NJ Transit and Amtrack are warning their rail customers to gird their loins for a potential full month of misery as a yearslong infrastructure project reaches a critical juncture — while promising the pain will be worth it in the end.
“In just a few short weeks, we will reward the patience of Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT customers by helping eliminate a cause of long delays and unreliable commutes,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a statement.
Amtrak on Sunday began the laborious process of transferring rail traffic away from the 115-year-old Portal Bridge spanning the Hackensack River in New Jersey to the newly constructed Portal North Bridge.
The train route is notorious for creating downstream effects affecting the entire Northeast Corridor because NJ Transit and Amtrak share a track north of Trenton. Delays at the junction frequently cause train traffic into and out of New York City to grind to a halt.
NJ Transit train riders will now have to do without direct weekday service into Penn Station on its Morristown, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Lines — with all Midtown Direct service to be diverted to Hoboken — for the next few weeks.
Straphangers’ tickets will be cross-honored on the PATH train between Hoboken and 33rd Street, NJ Transit’s 126 bus and the NY Waterway ferry.
Transit officials are warning riders to expect delays because of the changes, particularly in Hoboken, which is expected to be badly jammed during peak hours and with the NJ Transit cross-honoring program.
Amtrak riders will meanwhile see a reduction in service for the month as 280 trains have been adjusted in light of the project’s last big push. The train service’s Acela, Northeast Regional and Keystone routes are among those affected.
The bridge work will be performed on both sides of the span simultaneously and will see 2.5 miles of new railroad connected to existing infrastructure. Two new interlockings will be built, and more than 4,500 feet of new track will be laid.
Amtrak says the job will require about 40,000 labor hours, to be done by 70 to 90 workers per day over the next month.
The work is expected to wrap up by March 14, when regular schedules will hopefully be resumed.
NJ Transit riders can check if their routes are affected here, and Amtrak customers can get help by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL or through Amtrak.com.
The current crossing has long been beset by delays caused by mechanisms locking up, particularly when contending with boat traffic — with Gothamist reporting that sometimes workers have even had to resort to banging the locking mechanism with a sledgehammer to get it working again.
Former Gov. Phil Murphy said during the project’s 2022 groundbreaking that the existing bridge gets stuck one out of seven times it opens to allow maritime traffic to traverse the waterway.
Fortunately, the new Portal Bridge North won’t have to open to accommodate traffic along the river. However completing the project means trains will be operating on a single track between Newark and Secaucus for the next month, limiting service into Penn Station on weekdays, the outlet said.
New Jersey
Woman charged with theft for taking dog outside N.J. home, police say
A woman has been charged with theft for taking a dog outside a Clifton, New Jersey, home in April, police say.
Last month, William Chan told CBS News New York his dog, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu-Yorkshire Terrier mix named Rocky, somehow got out of the house on April 5 while his nephew was dog-sitting.
The Clifton Police Department said investigators determined that while Rocky was loose, he ran down the street and was running in or near the road at times.
Video shows Rocky did eventually return to his own yard, and a child holding a blanket can be seen chasing the dog before a woman gets out of a black SUV parked in the road. Rocky then runs onto the back porch of his home, where the woman and child corner him, grab him with a blanket, take him back to the SUV, and drive away.
The family said Rocky was wearing a harness and ID tag at the time.
Police said the woman did not make any attempt to talk to anyone inside the home or any neighbors, and neither animal control nor police received any calls about a loose dog being found on that day.
Chan called police on April 6 to report that Rocky had possibly been stolen, and investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Mery Cepeda-Chevalier, of Newark, as a person of interest.
Officers spotted Cepeda-Chevalier’s vehicle in Passaic on April 8 and pulled her over, police said.
According to police, Cepeda-Chevalier cooperated with detectives, admitted she had Rocky, and agreed to have the detectives follow her back to her home. She then handed over the dog, and detectives reunited Rocky with his family.
On Thursday, Cepeda-Chevalier was charged via summons with one count of theft of a domestic companion animal.
New Jersey
Browns Hand Out New Jersey Uniform Numbers for All 10 Draftees, Plus a Dozen UDFAs
The Cleveland Browns announced jersey numbers for all 10 draftees, as the team’s rookie minicamp is underway at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
While First-round picks Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion had already shown off their numbers — 55 and 17, respectively .. at their introductory press conference a few days ago, the jersey numbers for other rookies hadn’t been disclosed until today.
Second-round wideout Denzel Boston will now wear No. 12, quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ old number. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, had previously announced a switch to his old college No. 2 beforehand.
Fifth-round linebacker Justin Jefferson has been assigned jersey No. 10, which was used by last year’s second-round running back Quinshon Judkins. No announcement has been made yet on Judkins possibly changing his number, though. He wore No. 1 at Ohio State.
Not all jersey numbers are available in Cleveland, as the team has officially retired five of them: 14 (Otto Graham), 32 (Jim Brown), 45 (Ernie Davis), 46 (Don Fleming) and 76 (Lou Groza).
|
Jersey |
Round |
Pick |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
55 |
1 |
9 |
Spencer Fano |
OT |
Utah |
|
17 |
1 |
24 |
KC Concepcion |
WR |
Texas A&M |
|
12 |
2 |
39 |
Denzel Boston |
WR |
Washington |
|
28 |
2 |
58 |
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren |
S |
Toledo |
|
58 |
3 |
86 |
Austin Barber |
OT |
Florida |
|
52 |
5 |
146 |
Parker Brailsford |
C |
Alabama |
|
10 |
5 |
149 |
Justin Jefferson |
LB |
Alabama |
|
18 |
5 |
170 |
Joe Royer |
TE |
Cincinnati |
|
15 |
6 |
182 |
Taylen Green |
QB |
Arkansas |
|
48 |
7 |
248 |
Carsen Ryan |
TE |
BYU |
At this point in time, eiht of the 10 rookies drafted by Cleveland in last months 2026 NFL Draft have signed their contracts. The only still-unsigned draftees are wideout Concepcion and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
In these cases, players sign a participation agreement that covers the team’s liability during the event, ensuring players are covered for injury.
Browns officially add 12 undrafted free agents
Cleveland also announced the formal signing of 12 undrafted free agents to complete it’s rookie class.
The most notable name on this list appears to be Logan Fano, a defensive end out of Utah who just happens to be Spencer Fano’s brother.
All undrafted free agent rookies were also assigned their numbers for the Browns’ rookie minicamp.
|
Jersey |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|
|
29 |
Davon Booth |
RB |
Mississippi State |
|
34 |
Zion Washington |
S |
Boise State |
|
36 |
TJ Harden |
RB |
SMU |
|
36 |
Wes Pahl |
P |
Oklahoma State |
|
38 |
Kole Wilson |
WR |
Baylor |
|
43 |
Nate Evans |
CB |
Delaware |
|
47 |
DeCarlos Nicholson |
CB |
USC |
|
60 |
Izavion Miller |
OT |
Auburn |
|
64 |
Tyreak Sapp |
DE |
Florida |
|
66 |
Bernard Gooden |
DT |
LSU |
|
90 |
Khordae Sydnor |
DE |
Vanderbilt |
|
97 |
Logan Fano |
DE |
Utah |
Other players that have reportedly accepted invites to Browns’ rookie minicamp include Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes, West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico, Fordham linebacker James Conway, and Bowling Green tight end Jyrin Johnson.
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New Jersey
Crash closes Route 38 in Hainesport, New Jersey
A serious crash in Hainesport, New Jersey, has forced Route 38 to close Thursday night.
The crash happened on Route 38 near Creek Road at around 9:30 p.m. Chopper 3 was over the scene, where two cars were badly damaged.
According to Burlington County dispatch, several people were injured in the crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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