High atop the Kill Van Kull, hundreds work to raise the Bayonne Bridge. The project began in 2013, and officials said it's about 75 percent complete.
"It'll be much more functional it will be up to date, obviously this was built close to a century ago," said Steven Plate.
Plate is the Chief of Major Capital Projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He gave NY1 a tour of what will be the new elevated roadway.
He said over the summer steel girders, a suspended deck, and concrete towers were installed at the site. The project will allow larger vessels to travel under the bridge and to the areas ports.
"We've raised the bridge by 54 feet, that will enable the economy to continue to grow, the post-panamax ships can come through here, very efficiently," Plate said.
Once the project is complete a metal deck will be transformed into four lanes of traffic. It will also include a bike lane, pedestrian path, and shoulders for drivers who need to pull over.
Plate said the project will also preserve the beauty of the bridge and it's iconic steel arch.
"The original bridge was designed by Othman Amman, who did George Washington a host of bridges around this region and throughout the country, and we wanted to maintain the integrity of the architecture, but provide the more modern function," he explained.
If all goes according to plan, one lane of traffic will open in each direction sometime next year. That’s when larger ships will also be able to sail underneath.
The project is expected to be fully complete by mid-2019.