As someone who had 2different careers, one in electric power generation and one in sewage collection and treatment, I offer the following: Lack of electricity is an inconvenience, lack of road and rail transit is an inconvenience, lack of being able to flush is an emergency. I was in power first and thought everyone needed to turn on a light, not so. Everyone MUST take a shit. People get really really upset when black water appears in their sight line.
My spooky/complicated 9 foot deep sewage pump* vault hasn't worked in over 5 years, so I crap in the woods or in my recently deceased cat's litter box. I'm 65 and broke and will carry on woods-pooping as long as I can get my ass up to a tree! *about $5,000 to replace + labor + cleanout
You can always tell that problems like this do not directly affect the people making bad decisions, just by the sheer absurdity of the consequences and the lack of sensible reactions from the decision makers (or lack of response completely in some cases).
I’m glad this is getting some attention from someone who knows the industry. I actually worked for Vinik and have had to move that barge more times than I can count. I can tell you I didn’t smell the greatest when I got home those days lol. The construction definitely made it stressful with having multiple points to have to keep lookout for, and give distances on, all at the same time. On top of that, sometimes we would have to go through with the tide at our stern because the ebb was during “rush hours”. It was only a matter of time before something happened and there was a catastrophic spill. We were getting squeezed by the government and the companies they hired to build the bridge, both literally and figuratively.
Crystal clear when YOU describe the problems! No so by the time those who really need to hear this, might finally get the word! Thanks, Sal for trying to make the rest of us be able to see through the poop. Be well, be safe
My experience in the Hackensack river circa 2006: After the train bridges have refuse to open, even after multiple requests (it’s the tides in a shallow river vs. rush hour NY commuter trains) Best line I ever heard; the captain had the barge under the span, the tide was running out from under us, five blasts one after another, captain is outside the wheel house hollering at the bridge shack “One of us is going to be out of a job in the morning, either your going to open that bridge or I am going to hit it!”
Sal, you should try getting hold of someone in the Skanska project team and see how they have planned in river access, they are a very thorough and extremely capable (expensive) company who have a reputation for dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ - I’d be shocked if they didn’t have a detailed navigation plan for the whole duration of the works and might appreciate the opportunity to discuss it on the channel. Don’t ask, don’t get 😀👍
There was a time when boats went up the Columbia far inland past Marsing Idaho. There used to be cannels from Sacramento further inland. They build bridge over these water ways preventing the boated to use them. Then those canals fill with weeds and silt and become forgotten to time.
Last I knew the dem hair heads wanted to remove everything on the Columbia and just let it food out the whole area due to muh nature and environmentalism.
Sal, once upon a time I had the privilege of consorting with Gunnery Sergeants, they of the United States Marine Corps, usually on the receiving end of them yelling something at the top of their voices. One of the more memorable pearls of wisdom had to do with the "seven P's". "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performances!" Forget about Mayor Pete, or Admiral What's Her Face. Send in the Marines!
Thanks Sal. I didn't realise the extent of American inland waterways until I did a Sailboat delivery from Monroe Michigan to Fort Meyers Florida. Lake Erie, Erie canal across New York State, Hudson River, Delaware Bay, Cheasapeake Bay, then the Intercoastal waterway, to Lake Okeechobee, to Ft Meyers. 😊😊😊
I once followed a porta potty pumping truck down a 1 lane canyon road in my small car. As we slowed in tight turns and I moved closer to it, I noticed its license plate frame "Your sh*t is my bread and butter"
There are over 450 trains passing on the bridge each day. The current bridge is a swing bridge which often malfunctions (built 1910). This also means that the area where ships can pass under both the new and old bridges is limited to the swing area. So can't build a new channel firtsher north/east while they work on the new bridge on the south/west since the boats still need to pass in the middle. I did quick Google search and there are closures announced and planned till december. three of those closures are 14 day long. So yes, that is a serious amount of constipation before ships can pass again 🙂 One would need to find the contracts between Amtrak/Skanska to see if there are limits on the closure of the shipping channel or whether Skanska was just told "try not to close it too much". Remember that the swing bridge often broke, so shipping was also often delayed/blocked until it got fixed and those were unplanned. The current closures are planned. But if whoever is involved failed to properly comunicate this with shippers ahead of time, one would have to wonder whose fault it is for lack of communication. Coast Guard? Skanska? Amtrak? (the bridge also supports hundreds of NJ Transit commuter trains but they are a tennant paying Amtrak for track use). As far as shipping waste by barge, I sure hope this is destined to sewage processing plant instead of being dumped untreated into the ocean.
The bridge construction is over halfway done now, so it shouldn’t be that much longer for the worst of the bottleneck. Part of the plan is to remove the old bridge, so they should end up with a larger passage after it’s all completed.
@@reasonablespeculation3893 When one mode is chosen over another, there are always winners and losers, and some due to collusion I will agree. "Risky" It seems you are classifying it as a high risk. Trucking sludge isn't hazmat in the EPA's eyes since there are no placards needed. Do you know that new motor oil isn't a hazardous material? If there isn't another way to move a product then trucking isn't a bad option. Sometimes it's the only way to get it moved. I've hauled plenty of solids myself and it's not as bad as one thinks.
The existing Amtrak bridge is infamous for getting stuck while opening, delaying both rail passengers and maritime traffic, so the new high level bridge will be a big improvement there. As for Florida, some there have been throwing everything they can at Brightline and the FEC, lawsult after suit, including over the few movable bridges, should bridge openings be timed on schedule or should maritime traffic (large recreational boats) always have priority over passenger and freight trains?
@@lookingbehind6335 Brightline is not Amtrak its a private company, Also more people than you think depend on the trains all over this country. without Amtrak this nation would have no national scale passenger lines and I-95 would completely grind to a halt in the Northeast without the NE Corridor service.
The NEC, and this part in particular, are actually the only parts of Amtrak that are really worth the cost to run. That bridge carries enormous numbers of passengers
I know that Portal needed to be replaced but I had no idea what a clustersomething it had become. I used to work in Lyndhurst and spent many a lunch next to the river in DeKorte Park. It's a shame that everybody involved can't be a part of the work being done. And, it's Verrazano, not verraNzano. Pet peeve from a Jersey resident. Love your channel and thanks to TimBatSea for sending me here a while back
Thanks, Sal for another timely update and analysis. You'd think more people would get behind the idea of moving cargo by barge, reducing the wear and tear on our highways and increased costs for trucking companies as well as reducing emissions.
Another piece of info is maintenance of channel as well as no more "draw bridges" The Passaic river is basically full of mud. The Dock bridge at Newark Penn Station is about to be put in fixed status. On the Hackensack many upriver bridges are now fixed span. So we loose the ability to use our inland waterways. At least you didn't say that this video smells!
Ships grew larger than the rivers could handle, and the industries along the rivers closed. With nobody using the river, why bother keeping the bridges open?
Shit is why I still had power in the Texas February freeze of 2021. We are on the same grid as a sewage treatment plant. Not having power is one thing, not having power & having raw sewage back up into 10,000 houses is an entirely other.
One must remember that it's not the USCG that approves the construction plans, it's the Army Corps of Engineers. And they don't always play nice with the CG (I think it is a DoD/DHS thing.) Even when building their own facilities, the CG has to go through ACoE. Communication needs improvement, but the headwaters are in the Pentagon, not CGHQ.
The Portal Bridge is a unique situation. Yes, yes, yes, the USCG should absolutely support barge traffic and enforce waterway standards. BUT- the bridge carries 450 trains per day-it is vital for NE rail traffic, the bridge sometimes jams open or closed-either way, someone has to wait, river traffic is halted during 2 periods every during weekday (total of 10 hours for train rush hour), and the channel is relatively narrow. Once the bridge is done (and it is on "fast track") all this goes away. The width under the new bridge will be wider and there will be no more opening and closing of the bridge, this will help boats and trains. Again- boat traffic got unnecessary AND APPARENTLY ILLEGAL "hardship", BUT AT LEAST BETTER DAYS ARE COMING!
I worked for the tug company in the video and have been on that job nearly 50 times. With the new bridge they are planning, there are no boats out there that are small enough to fit under and big enough to push a barge that big. It would require building a new boat or completely tearing apart and customizing an existing one. But also, tides change day to day. Sometimes the tide you need lines up with the rush hours. Boats are at the mercy of environmental factors like winds or tides, trains are not…they can wait.
Sal, This story, as have many others, points to the ability of the USCG to carry out its duties. Unfortunately, I wonder how they can administer the safe navigation of ships while protecting the US from drug smuggling and immigration violations. They are also expected to guard against terrorists. Add in licensing mariners, documentation of vessels, protection of the environment, tending buoys, marine inspections, SOLAS enforcement, and Search and Rescue, to name a few duties. It was understandable to have the USCG made part of Homeland Security after 9/11. From my perspective, I think the USCG was a better fit when they were part of the Department of Transportation. Maybe the USCG should be divided so they report to both the DoT and the DoD. Maybe the part that is given to the DoT should be combined with MARAD and the FMC. Bob
This sounds like a critical incident just waiting to happen. The Coast Guard really needs to be held accountable. Nothing gets your attention to waste management like having to drive behind a leaking manure (or sewage) transport truck!
Project Managment 101: Identify all stakeholders. Communicate with all stakeholders. Address concerns of all stakeholders. I think the PM missed a few steps. Thanks for the video Sal.
Here in south Florida, Brightline passenger trains account for a doubling if not tripling of rail traffic on the FEC rail line. I see this everyday. But, I should mention Floridians are overjoyed that their home state has just learned about this brand spanking new “mass transit.” I personally have railed about this for decades [sorry]. The infrastructure for this essential new service was largely already in place so conflicts were inevitable. Drivers are largely unencumbered because the fast and short Brightline passenger trains pass in seconds, rather than minutes. Trains themselves seem to have worked out their schedules to allow the much busier FEC rail.
Well, Florida conservatives, went above and beyond to stop a better service that wouldn't have affected local marine traffic. And I have very little sympathy for private boaters, as opposed to commercial mariners, and train passengers. In any case bridge upgrades need to take place, the maritime industry has to take note and speak up for themselves.
All due respect Sal, you are missing a lot of information on this from the rail side. The Portal Bridge swing section was failing to operate correctly an estimated 1 out of 7 openings. That affects both rail and maritime traffic. It was bad enough to start the poop trucks in 2015 and only in 2021 did the bridge become reliable enough again to resume barge traffic. It is remarkable that Amtrak and NJ DOT are building this bridge as fast as they are and unfortunately there comes a point in any construction project that access is narrowed to the level it is now. Considering the channel width they will get after project completion, a few years of pain will quickly be forgotten.
If the Construction Company is blocking the waterway to shipping traffic, why hasn't the Shipping Company/Independent Ship Owners gotten together and filed a Lawsuit against the Construction Company, State Governments and the Coast Guard in Federal Court for interfering with inter-coastal Shipping Traffic which causes those ships to violate the Law requiring US flagged ships to carry such cargo...
@@rolandthethompsongunner64 Of course someone is being paid off since the Regulating and Enforcement Agencies have received Complaints and done nothing to enforce the Laws...
Took a quick look at the barges and waste hauling in that area. Looks like they are hauling leachate (wastewater) from trash dumps and biosolids or sludge from wastewater plants. The sludge is usually the end product of wastewater processing. Leachate and biosolids may be better choices if you don't want to say say shit. We usually refer to it in the simplest terms in the wastewater industry unless we need to impress someone. 😁
St Lucie & St Lucia are two different places :P The county, river and area in Florida, is St Loo-see. (Though, you did better than the guy I heard call it St Loo-kee)
They always do that they care about waterway access to anyone else but them. That's the top reason I got rid of my house boat because of blockages of the waterway of inland fla aka Kissimmee inland waterways.. back in the early 90's I was going all over fla from the Tampa Bay to Okeechobee to the St Johns River. Now I believe they cut off going from Okeechobee to Kissimmee River up...
Here in Australia most mariners would love the equivalent of the Jones act as foreign crew are everywhere and overseas companies will do everything to avoid hirings locals . Our militant unions have not helped in the past but it means there is little training for shipping crew .
Not enough crappy puns :) Brian Mast is a good congressman, it's pronounced "Lucy" I live in Port Saint Lucie, I'm a long time viewer from the Ever Given Suez debacle, love the channel
I like the self-censoring only because since retiring from shipping, you became a college professor in a "regular" college. So your work out here can be classroom approved. Good thinking!
I won't say the episode stunk... But the news sure did. They say S#!t rolls down hill. I guess in Jersey it floats down a river. It's not easy living in New Jersey.
I would like to hear more about traffic, other than sewage, being delayed by bridge construction. I grew up in the area, and in my memory, there was very little commercial traffic on that river above Newark Bay.
Is this anything other than a waterway equivalent of a temporary detour, road closure or traffic impediment done to accommodate construction activity on dry land? Is the complaint what was done or how long it's taking to clear? Or something else?
@@jimhackney2166 It sounds like the project plans, communication and the like were botched. All regrettable, avoidable and with difficult and expensive consequences. Now the project is in progress and is what it is. Other than arguing for compensation for the problems caused, is there anything else to do now but hope for it to be done ASAP?
I think the complaint is not as much the bridge pylons themselves as much as the temporary works and barges used to build them. Some people are also complaining about the bridge’s final design height clearance as well, but I rather doubt that should be such a major problem
Hi sal , this story reminds me of a bridge construction in my home state the government had a rule that bridges needed a clearence between piles of 45ft and the road board used this rule however instead of putting a bend in the road to put the bridge at 90° to the river it kept the road straight and at 45° to river trafic flow effectively reducing clearence to 40ft with a jiggle and a wiggle to pass and then the roadboard in fear of collision braced huge cement casons around each line of bridge piles effectively reducind the bridge clearence to 31ft the barges were 30ft wide and 100ft long and if we hit the bridge rebuttment it was called by the roads board a collision and would start a papperwork hell we eventually fitted wheels horizontally along the barge to roll through because wheel are permitted to make contact with bridges , it like if a construction barge blockes a water way the down stream vessel/barge has right of way and if forced to stop/ delay can charge
I suspect the story here maybe a cover story for that fragile bridge that NJ Transit and Amtrak uses which has beleaguered commuters with delays giving NJ's Governor Tom Murphy headaches as of lately. If I am correct that old fragile bridge is either a swing bridge or a lift bridge that does not work so well. Additionally if I am correct that old bridge's operation would also have to be coordinated with the barge traffic. Thanks for the video. That is my two cents.
You are exactly right. The new bridge will be a significant improvement for rail AND water transport. The only problem is that the impact on water traffic during construction was not considered, causing economic and practical harm. As Sal said, the USCG should address this ASAP!
It’s not just railway bridges over waterways. Here we have the 610/288 called 610/Cambridge project. It’s an ongoing 6 year project that cuts the city in Houston in half at its worst. They have really screwed 610 traffic badly, many times driving home at night we got traffic driving down the wrong side of the freeway. It seems like they were changing the traffic pattern monthly and people were completely unaware wtf they were doing. “yeah hey bud, sure I will wait for you to make a U turn on the freeway, it’s not like someone will rear-end me while I’m waiting” The most recent safety fiasco is on the eastbound approach to the north overpass (south is closed) they decided to make an immediate 20° turn in a three lane freeway with a 4th merging lane that was piss poor marked. Demo-derby time. What happened was some must have complained because about a week later they close the entire eastbound lanes, and it was still a piss-poor job, so more recently they decided, hey we can’t do what we already did, so they move the change in traffic flow another 1/4 mile east. The rapid lane change and pattern departure was never marked. I just got to the point on the east bound travel to get in the right lane and set my speed at 45 MPH and just wait for the screeching stops and honking horns in front of me. Yes TXDOT, safety is Job #1 (1 am after 20 accidents occurred)
Count on the 17th century Dutch to sight the best harbor on the coast, I guess! NYC history is fascinating; down where the farms began one finds The Bowery, on which George Washington held has victory march. To have been there on a crisp fall day, realizing the nation's newfound sovereignty over an inland empire connected by those rivers mentioned, plus the Lakes and the Mississippi obviously within reach... That must have been the sweetest beer ever tasted.
Can the cities involved charge the companies blocking everything for the increased transportation costs? If they are breaking a law it seems like they should be responsible for the consequences of breaking it. Since a corporation is considered a person, complete with freedom of speech that entitles them to bribe politicians, then they should have the same accountability as the rest of us. The answer of course is that the maritime industry is going to have to pay more bribe money than the railroad and trucking industries.
It’s not nearly so simplistic an issue as you suggest. The logistical puzzle of ship, rail, and truck is bound to result in inefficiencies somewhere. They need to be worked out and I pity the planners. Their customers occasionally have a hard time with compromise. In the worst cases, new infrastructure is the only solution. That is to be avoided for obvious reasons.
If you can address it, would you make the point for & against the Jones act. What it means, inland & at sea for transport costs. Especially if it is so massively uneconomic to avoid this mode of transport just to avoid any lower labour input costs from elsewhere? Really appreciate the show 👍👍👍👍
Skanska are from my home province of Scania, which is a peninsula extending from a peninsula, where nothing of note is ever transported by river. I suppose this situation shouldn't be too surprising.
Me, in the Netherlands, I'm under the impression that globally most decision makers are hardly aware of both transport by ship and transport of goods (let alone of their combined importance), therefore prioritizing fast transport of people (by private or public means). In my opinion, some awareness is due with the people (voters) to end up with decision makers that can balance all interests involved (including tax-paying, national security, the environment).
WGWS never have I enjoyed your channel so much. If I were on a boat listening to this craptsatic piece of news I would have fallen off the poopdeck laughing.
This a state where the Governor closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge for political retribution, unless the barge companies grease palms they will lose this fight.
Trains v Barges is an old story and one where the barges normally win over the railroad swing bridges. Railroad crews camplin about waiting at Bridge signals as much as the barge crew complain about waiting on the trains. Construction is something everyone complains about. Poop barges should be outlawed if they are dumping in the ocean because fish do not thrive in poop. Here in Iowa we spread all our poop on farm fields to raise food for pigs & chickens to feed people in New York City...
We had the same problem here, they built the new bridge so traffic could feel better. Higher waters make the bridge too low for small boat traffic to pass under and flooding the too low bike path. Brilliant work on paper, for a few extra bucks?
I have to ask why doesn't waste management have a waste treatment facility to clean the waist? Lot cheaper and safer than hauling it down the river. If that's not practical why don't they have a pipe system on the bed of the river to handle the waste transit to the waste treatment facility?
As a ex-Floridian, the high speed rail from Orlando to Miami will be incredible. The problems mentioned by Rep. Mast, whom I voted for and support, are transitory and will go away upon the rail project's completion.
The Brightline services are already running Orlando-Miami. The sticking point seems to be they haven't rebuilt the drawbridge in Stuart like they proposed at one point
This entire video can be distilled to the fact that the tugboat captain is mad that he has to pass through a slightly more narrow channel. All of the video of the construction shown clearly shows a clear channel for the barges to pass through
It’s a much narrower channel, which makes steering through it much, much more difficult. In any case, the bridge construction won’t last forever and the channel will be fully open again within the next couple years
As someone who had 2different careers, one in electric power generation and one in sewage collection and treatment, I offer the following: Lack of electricity is an inconvenience, lack of road and rail transit is an inconvenience, lack of being able to flush is an emergency. I was in power first and thought everyone needed to turn on a light, not so. Everyone MUST take a shit. People get really really upset when black water appears in their sight line.
And the fun starts when you generate electricity from sewage…
(A number of sewage authorities are net power generators).
and rightfully so! Lack of working sewage and waste infrastructure is a serious hazard
When the water pumps and no water comes out of the taps fail things become an emergency pretty fast.
My spooky/complicated 9 foot deep sewage pump* vault hasn't worked in over 5 years, so I crap in the woods or in my recently deceased cat's litter box. I'm 65 and broke and will carry on woods-pooping as long as I can get my ass up to a tree! *about $5,000 to replace + labor + cleanout
@@boboala1It feeds your garden perfectly. 💛👍.
The "What's Going on with Shitting" episode will live on in the hearts & minds of the people. o/
Reported.
Glad i was not drinking soda as I read your comment.
HolySittt, had no idea it's cloggdd so baddd.
@@I_Am_Your_Problem Troll *sigh*
Farts and minds?
Despite the pun overload, the underlying issue seems pretty important.
As Doc Brown would say: when I get this thing up 88 your going to see some serious.....
stinks
Bunch of losers in the comments. Country in decline.
Yeah, ask the House-less how they shttt.
The spice must flow!
You can always tell that problems like this do not directly affect the people making bad decisions, just by the sheer absurdity of the consequences and the lack of sensible reactions from the decision makers (or lack of response completely in some cases).
I’m glad this is getting some attention from someone who knows the industry. I actually worked for Vinik and have had to move that barge more times than I can count. I can tell you I didn’t smell the greatest when I got home those days lol. The construction definitely made it stressful with having multiple points to have to keep lookout for, and give distances on, all at the same time. On top of that, sometimes we would have to go through with the tide at our stern because the ebb was during “rush hours”. It was only a matter of time before something happened and there was a catastrophic spill. We were getting squeezed by the government and the companies they hired to build the bridge, both literally and figuratively.
Wheres is Tony Soprano when you need him?
Their trucking business is doing great!
😂
Crystal clear when YOU describe the problems! No so by the time those who really need to hear this, might finally get the word! Thanks, Sal for trying to make the rest of us be able to see through the poop. Be well, be safe
I learn a lot by watching your videos Sal.
My experience in the Hackensack river circa 2006: After the train bridges have refuse to open, even after multiple requests (it’s the tides in a shallow river vs. rush hour NY commuter trains) Best line I ever heard; the captain had the barge under the span, the tide was running out from under us, five blasts one after another, captain is outside the wheel house hollering at the bridge shack “One of us is going to be out of a job in the morning, either your going to open that bridge or I am going to hit it!”
That is a great story.
@@wgowshipping The Coast Guard is probably under political pressure from the Whitehouse to prioritize "green" rail projects over shipping.
Sal, you should try getting hold of someone in the Skanska project team and see how they have planned in river access, they are a very thorough and extremely capable (expensive) company who have a reputation for dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ - I’d be shocked if they didn’t have a detailed navigation plan for the whole duration of the works and might appreciate the opportunity to discuss it on the channel. Don’t ask, don’t get 😀👍
There was a time when boats went up the Columbia far inland past Marsing Idaho.
There used to be cannels from Sacramento further inland.
They build bridge over these water ways preventing the boated to use them. Then those canals fill with weeds and silt and become forgotten to time.
None of that was navigable channels. You just admitted as such.
@@I_Am_Your_Problem (*sigh*) Another Troll.
Last I knew the dem hair heads wanted to remove everything on the Columbia and just let it food out the whole area due to muh nature and environmentalism.
Sal, once upon a time I had the privilege of consorting with Gunnery Sergeants, they of the United States Marine Corps, usually on the receiving end of them yelling something at the top of their voices. One of the more memorable pearls of wisdom had to do with the "seven P's". "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performances!"
Forget about Mayor Pete, or Admiral What's Her Face. Send in the Marines!
Thanks Sal. I didn't realise the extent of American inland waterways until I did a Sailboat delivery from Monroe Michigan to Fort Meyers Florida. Lake Erie, Erie canal across New York State, Hudson River, Delaware Bay, Cheasapeake Bay, then the Intercoastal waterway, to Lake Okeechobee, to Ft Meyers. 😊😊😊
I once followed a porta potty pumping truck down a 1 lane canyon road in my small car.
As we slowed in tight turns and I moved closer to it, I noticed its license plate frame "Your sh*t is my bread and butter"
There are over 450 trains passing on the bridge each day. The current bridge is a swing bridge which often malfunctions (built 1910).
This also means that the area where ships can pass under both the new and old bridges is limited to the swing area. So can't build a new channel firtsher north/east while they work on the new bridge on the south/west since the boats still need to pass in the middle.
I did quick Google search and there are closures announced and planned till december. three of those closures are 14 day long. So yes, that is a serious amount of constipation before ships can pass again 🙂 One would need to find the contracts between Amtrak/Skanska to see if there are limits on the closure of the shipping channel or whether Skanska was just told "try not to close it too much".
Remember that the swing bridge often broke, so shipping was also often delayed/blocked until it got fixed and those were unplanned. The current closures are planned. But if whoever is involved failed to properly comunicate this with shippers ahead of time, one would have to wonder whose fault it is for lack of communication. Coast Guard? Skanska? Amtrak? (the bridge also supports hundreds of NJ Transit commuter trains but they are a tennant paying Amtrak for track use).
As far as shipping waste by barge, I sure hope this is destined to sewage processing plant instead of being dumped untreated into the ocean.
The bridge construction is over halfway done now, so it shouldn’t be that much longer for the worst of the bottleneck. Part of the plan is to remove the old bridge, so they should end up with a larger passage after it’s all completed.
Sewage by truck. Utter madness!
Inefficient, costly, risky, and generally wasteful,
In other words, a lot of money is being lost by some, while others profit
Must have gotten inspiration from Dubai hotels.
@@lookingbehind6335 Yes remember we laughed about that, those silly guys, not like us eh... oh wait they replace the poop barges.. ugh.
Been going on for decades mate.
@@reasonablespeculation3893 When one mode is chosen over another, there are always winners and losers, and some due to collusion I will agree.
"Risky" It seems you are classifying it as a high risk. Trucking sludge isn't hazmat in the EPA's eyes since there are no placards needed. Do you know that new motor oil isn't a hazardous material?
If there isn't another way to move a product then trucking isn't a bad option. Sometimes it's the only way to get it moved. I've hauled plenty of solids myself and it's not as bad as one thinks.
The existing Amtrak bridge is infamous for getting stuck while opening, delaying both rail passengers and maritime traffic, so the new high level bridge will be a big improvement there. As for Florida, some there have been throwing everything they can at Brightline and the FEC, lawsult after suit, including over the few movable bridges, should bridge openings be timed on schedule or should maritime traffic (large recreational boats) always have priority over passenger and freight trains?
Get rid of Amtrak, it’s worthless anyway.
@@lookingbehind6335 Brightline is not Amtrak its a private company, Also more people than you think depend on the trains all over this country. without Amtrak this nation would have no national scale passenger lines and I-95 would completely grind to a halt in the Northeast without the NE Corridor service.
The NEC, and this part in particular, are actually the only parts of Amtrak that are really worth the cost to run. That bridge carries enormous numbers of passengers
I know that Portal needed to be replaced but I had no idea what a clustersomething it had become. I used to work in Lyndhurst and spent many a lunch next to the river in DeKorte Park. It's a shame that everybody involved can't be a part of the work being done. And, it's Verrazano, not verraNzano. Pet peeve from a Jersey resident. Love your channel and thanks to TimBatSea for sending me here a while back
another fabulous synopsis of current conditions and problems in the shipping industry. Thanks Sal!
Thanks, Sal for another timely update and analysis. You'd think more people would get behind the idea of moving cargo by barge, reducing the wear and tear on our highways and increased costs for trucking companies as well as reducing emissions.
Reducing emissions?
😃
Another piece of info is maintenance of channel as well as no more "draw bridges" The Passaic river is basically full of mud. The Dock bridge at Newark Penn Station is about to be put in fixed status. On the Hackensack many upriver bridges are now fixed span. So we loose the ability to use our inland waterways. At least you didn't say that this video smells!
Thsi is an excellent point!
Funny, it's only rail bridges that are mentioned rather than the hundreds of road bridges.
Ships grew larger than the rivers could handle, and the industries along the rivers closed. With nobody using the river, why bother keeping the bridges open?
Shit is why I still had power in the Texas February freeze of 2021. We are on the same grid as a sewage treatment plant. Not having power is one thing, not having power & having raw sewage back up into 10,000 houses is an entirely other.
Gives a whole new meaning to the term "Poop Deck"!
People need to lighten up and I welcome the amplification of problems with shipping. Great video!
Slaps top of sewage barge: "you can haul so much poop in this bad baby"
This was funny .. . . stuff! Another example of how proper prior planning prevents poopy performance.
One must remember that it's not the USCG that approves the construction plans, it's the Army Corps of Engineers. And they don't always play nice with the CG (I think it is a DoD/DHS thing.) Even when building their own facilities, the CG has to go through ACoE. Communication needs improvement, but the headwaters are in the Pentagon, not CGHQ.
When the "Ship happens" turns literall :)
Love that the congressman advocating for problems navigaging waterways under bridges is called "Mast"
The Portal Bridge is a unique situation. Yes, yes, yes, the USCG should absolutely support barge traffic and enforce waterway standards. BUT- the bridge carries 450 trains per day-it is vital for NE rail traffic, the bridge sometimes jams open or closed-either way, someone has to wait, river traffic is halted during 2 periods every during weekday (total of 10 hours for train rush hour), and the channel is relatively narrow. Once the bridge is done (and it is on "fast track") all this goes away. The width under the new bridge will be wider and there will be no more opening and closing of the bridge, this will help boats and trains. Again- boat traffic got unnecessary AND APPARENTLY ILLEGAL "hardship", BUT AT LEAST BETTER DAYS ARE COMING!
I worked for the tug company in the video and have been on that job nearly 50 times. With the new bridge they are planning, there are no boats out there that are small enough to fit under and big enough to push a barge that big. It would require building a new boat or completely tearing apart and customizing an existing one. But also, tides change day to day. Sometimes the tide you need lines up with the rush hours. Boats are at the mercy of environmental factors like winds or tides, trains are not…they can wait.
The poop jokes sure hit hard when you're inundated by dad jokes growing up. We just can't help ourselves. LOL!
Sal,
This story, as have many others, points to the ability of the USCG to carry out its duties. Unfortunately, I wonder how they can administer the safe navigation of ships while protecting the US from drug smuggling and immigration violations. They are also expected to guard against terrorists. Add in licensing mariners, documentation of vessels, protection of the environment, tending buoys, marine inspections, SOLAS enforcement, and Search and Rescue, to name a few duties.
It was understandable to have the USCG made part of Homeland Security after 9/11. From my perspective, I think the USCG was a better fit when they were part of the Department of Transportation. Maybe the USCG should be divided so they report to both the DoT and the DoD. Maybe the part that is given to the DoT should be combined with MARAD and the FMC.
Bob
This sounds like a critical incident just waiting to happen. The Coast Guard really needs to be held accountable.
Nothing gets your attention to waste management like having to drive behind a leaking manure (or sewage) transport truck!
Project Managment 101: Identify all stakeholders. Communicate with all stakeholders. Address concerns of all stakeholders. I think the PM missed a few steps. Thanks for the video Sal.
Here in south Florida, Brightline passenger trains account for a doubling if not tripling of rail traffic on the FEC rail line. I see this everyday. But, I should mention Floridians are overjoyed that their home state has just learned about this brand spanking new “mass transit.” I personally have railed about this for decades [sorry].
The infrastructure for this essential new service was largely already in place so conflicts were inevitable. Drivers are largely unencumbered because the fast and short Brightline passenger trains pass in seconds, rather than minutes. Trains themselves seem to have worked out their schedules to allow the much busier FEC rail.
The river is a right of way and should not be obstructed. Ever!
What about replacing the old bridge which frequently gets stuck, blocking the waterway?
P🎉 sounds like things are really getting backed up with the constriction and constipation of the construction area.
Affected my home port, in Florida. Brightline Rail has a much busier schedule. Waiting 1 1/2 hours happens a lot
Well, Florida conservatives, went above and beyond to stop a better service that wouldn't have affected local marine traffic. And I have very little sympathy for private boaters, as opposed to commercial mariners, and train passengers. In any case bridge upgrades need to take place, the maritime industry has to take note and speak up for themselves.
The Portal Bridge handles 450 trains a day for the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and NJ Transit commuter service. I doubt that Brightline has that volume.
Will "poop" be the new drinking game? 🤔
Poop Al mendab
Smelly🤣🤣
Nope still Bob-AL-Mendab
@@bentyler7927 I am not drinking these days so it is up to you to keep up the tradition!! 😁😁😁
@@pbear6251 Relax, it doesn't mean BOOZE, you fool. Poor Sal would be hammered during some of his reports if it did.
Coordination is the key any project moving forward smoothly... with that, comes SAFETY as well as my father would say 😊
Thanks again Sal, great coverage.
All due respect Sal, you are missing a lot of information on this from the rail side. The Portal Bridge swing section was failing to operate correctly an estimated 1 out of 7 openings. That affects both rail and maritime traffic. It was bad enough to start the poop trucks in 2015 and only in 2021 did the bridge become reliable enough again to resume barge traffic. It is remarkable that Amtrak and NJ DOT are building this bridge as fast as they are and unfortunately there comes a point in any construction project that access is narrowed to the level it is now. Considering the channel width they will get after project completion, a few years of pain will quickly be forgotten.
What's new in most of my dealings with CG slow inadequate and plain stubborn describes them with the exception of life saving that they quite well
As we said when I was in the military "Proper Planning Prevents -Piss- Poop Poor Performance."
Oh! It's New Jersey. That's where the poop goes anyway.
Poop Al mendab
Exactly I work on the tugboat and see it
NJ is fulla 💩
Great at sex though, your people from New Jersey
If the Construction Company is blocking the waterway to shipping traffic, why hasn't the Shipping Company/Independent Ship Owners gotten together and filed a Lawsuit against the Construction Company, State Governments and the Coast Guard in Federal Court for interfering with inter-coastal Shipping Traffic which causes those ships to violate the Law requiring US flagged ships to carry such cargo...
I believe it’s in the works. Or someone is being paid off 😂
@@rolandthethompsongunner64 Of course someone is being paid off since the Regulating and Enforcement Agencies have received Complaints and done nothing to enforce the Laws...
Thanks!
Took a quick look at the barges and waste hauling in that area. Looks like they are hauling leachate (wastewater) from trash dumps and biosolids or sludge from wastewater plants. The sludge is usually the end product of wastewater processing. Leachate and biosolids may be better choices if you don't want to say say shit. We usually refer to it in the simplest terms in the wastewater industry unless we need to impress someone. 😁
That is why I said SHIP.
@@wgowshipping
sounds like a load of shitty either way❤️👍.
Fresh off the boat!
I watched this twice. Thanks Sal.
St Lucie & St Lucia are two different places :P
The county, river and area in Florida, is St Loo-see. (Though, you did better than the guy I heard call it St Loo-kee)
I know this is very serious business & yet I revel in the Dad jokes. Please keep giving us the knowledge with the fun. Both are necessary.
I was expecting some comment about the Chicago ship and sanitary canal.
Not yet, that one still flows downhill, out, flushes..... 😉
Enjoyed
They always do that they care about waterway access to anyone else but them. That's the top reason I got rid of my house boat because of blockages of the waterway of inland fla aka Kissimmee inland waterways.. back in the early 90's I was going all over fla from the Tampa Bay to Okeechobee to the St Johns River. Now I believe they cut off going from Okeechobee to Kissimmee River up...
it's joisey, waddya tink
Here in Australia most mariners would love the equivalent of the Jones act as foreign crew are everywhere and overseas companies will do everything to avoid hirings locals . Our militant unions have not helped in the past but it means there is little training for shipping crew .
gcaptain.com/australia-seeks-commercial-vessels-for-strategic-fleet/
holy crappppp, had no idea that it was so cloggdd.
Thanks Sal
Not enough crappy puns :) Brian Mast is a good congressman, it's pronounced "Lucy" I live in Port Saint Lucie, I'm a long time viewer from the Ever Given Suez debacle, love the channel
I like the self-censoring only because since retiring from shipping, you became a college professor in a "regular" college. So your work out here can be classroom approved. Good thinking!
Attaboi, Captain Sal knows his shippin shttttt.
The next episode will be “When the sh..t hits the span”😅
I won't say the episode stunk... But the news sure did. They say S#!t rolls down hill. I guess in Jersey it floats down a river. It's not easy living in New Jersey.
I would like to hear more about traffic, other than sewage, being delayed by bridge construction. I grew up in the area, and in my memory, there was very little commercial traffic on that river above Newark Bay.
Babe wake up theirs a new What the ship video! 🎉 Thanks Dr.M
Is this anything other than a waterway equivalent of a temporary detour, road closure or traffic impediment done to accommodate construction activity on dry land? Is the complaint what was done or how long it's taking to clear? Or something else?
I believe the complaint is that barges cannot fit between the bridge pylons so shipping has been effectively cut off.
@@jimhackney2166 It sounds like the project plans, communication and the like were botched. All regrettable, avoidable and with difficult and expensive consequences. Now the project is in progress and is what it is. Other than arguing for compensation for the problems caused, is there anything else to do now but hope for it to be done ASAP?
I think the complaint is not as much the bridge pylons themselves as much as the temporary works and barges used to build them. Some people are also complaining about the bridge’s final design height clearance as well, but I rather doubt that should be such a major problem
Hi sal , this story reminds me of a bridge construction in my home state the government had a rule that bridges needed a clearence between piles of 45ft and the road board used this rule however instead of putting a bend in the road to put the bridge at 90° to the river it kept the road straight and at 45° to river trafic flow effectively reducing clearence to 40ft with a jiggle and a wiggle to pass and then the roadboard in fear of collision braced huge cement casons around each line of bridge piles effectively reducind the bridge clearence to 31ft the barges were 30ft wide and 100ft long and if we hit the bridge rebuttment it was called by the roads board a collision and would start a papperwork hell we eventually fitted wheels horizontally along the barge to roll through because wheel are permitted to make contact with bridges , it like if a construction barge blockes a water way the down stream vessel/barge has right of way and if forced to stop/ delay can charge
I suspect the story here maybe a cover story for that fragile bridge that NJ Transit and Amtrak uses which has beleaguered commuters with delays giving NJ's Governor Tom Murphy headaches as of lately. If I am correct that old fragile bridge is either a swing bridge or a lift bridge that does not work so well. Additionally if I am correct that old bridge's operation would also have to be coordinated with the barge traffic. Thanks for the video. That is my two cents.
You are exactly right. The new bridge will be a significant improvement for rail AND water transport. The only problem is that the impact on water traffic during construction was not considered, causing economic and practical harm. As Sal said, the USCG should address this ASAP!
The impact on maritime traffic for the duration of construction may well have been considered, and deemed worth the pain to get the project done
Keep and eye on the I75 bridge build across the Ohio River in Northern KY and Cincinnati
It’s not just railway bridges over waterways. Here we have the 610/288 called 610/Cambridge project. It’s an ongoing 6 year project that cuts the city in Houston in half at its worst.
They have really screwed 610 traffic badly, many times driving home at night we got traffic driving down the wrong side of the freeway. It seems like they were changing the traffic pattern monthly and people were completely unaware wtf they were doing. “yeah hey bud, sure I will wait for you to make a U turn on the freeway, it’s not like someone will rear-end me while I’m waiting”
The most recent safety fiasco is on the eastbound approach to the north overpass (south is closed) they decided to make an immediate 20° turn in a three lane freeway with a 4th merging lane that was piss poor marked. Demo-derby time.
What happened was some must have complained because about a week later they close the entire eastbound lanes, and it was still a piss-poor job, so more recently they decided, hey we can’t do what we already did, so they move the change in traffic flow another 1/4 mile east.
The rapid lane change and pattern departure was never marked. I just got to the point on the east bound travel to get in the right lane and set my speed at 45 MPH and just wait for the screeching stops and honking horns in front of me.
Yes TXDOT, safety is Job #1 (1 am after 20 accidents occurred)
I remember moving the bridge lift section to Kearny NJ, in 2017. They hadn’t built the towers or cast the rollers yet. Real great progress guys. 😂
Count on the 17th century Dutch to sight the best harbor on the coast, I guess!
NYC history is fascinating; down where the farms began one finds The Bowery, on which George Washington held has victory march.
To have been there on a crisp fall day, realizing the nation's newfound sovereignty over an inland empire connected by those rivers mentioned, plus the Lakes and the Mississippi obviously within reach... That must have been the sweetest beer ever tasted.
Can the cities involved charge the companies blocking everything for the increased transportation costs?
If they are breaking a law it seems like they should be responsible for the consequences of breaking it. Since a corporation is considered a person, complete with freedom of speech that entitles them to bribe politicians, then they should have the same accountability as the rest of us.
The answer of course is that the maritime industry is going to have to pay more bribe money than the railroad and trucking industries.
The New Jersey bridge is being built for two public entities, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. I don't think they budget for bribes.
It’s not nearly so simplistic an issue as you suggest. The logistical puzzle of ship, rail, and truck is bound to result in inefficiencies somewhere. They need to be worked out and I pity the planners. Their customers occasionally have a hard time with compromise. In the worst cases, new infrastructure is the only solution. That is to be avoided for obvious reasons.
If you can address it, would you make the point for & against the Jones act. What it means, inland & at sea for transport costs. Especially if it is so massively uneconomic to avoid this mode of transport just to avoid any lower labour input costs from elsewhere? Really appreciate the show 👍👍👍👍
Sal is no bullshipper.
I guess you can call it a STINKY Situation
Skanska are from my home province of Scania, which is a peninsula extending from a peninsula, where nothing of note is ever transported by river. I suppose this situation shouldn't be too surprising.
Always trust Sal to give is the straight poop!
Where are they taking the cargo? Do they still take it out in the ocean and dump it?
Me, in the Netherlands, I'm under the impression that globally most decision makers are hardly aware of both transport by ship and transport of goods (let alone of their combined importance), therefore prioritizing fast transport of people (by private or public means).
In my opinion, some awareness is due with the people (voters) to end up with decision makers that can balance all interests involved (including tax-paying, national security, the environment).
WGWS never have I enjoyed your channel so much. If I were on a boat listening to this craptsatic piece of news I would have fallen off the poopdeck laughing.
Ok we need the residents of the northeast to hold one for team America
This a state where the Governor closed lanes on the George Washington Bridge for political retribution, unless the barge companies grease palms they will lose this fight.
I feel like there was a missed opportunity to say "Sorry if this story was a little crude, but hey, ship happens." :)
Someone didn’t plan this shit right 😂
Trains v Barges is an old story and one where the barges normally win over the railroad swing bridges. Railroad crews camplin about waiting at Bridge signals as much as the barge crew complain about waiting on the trains. Construction is something everyone complains about. Poop barges should be outlawed if they are dumping in the ocean because fish do not thrive in poop. Here in Iowa we spread all our poop on farm fields to raise food for pigs & chickens to feed people in New York City...
I support Sal and his tasteful poop statements.
We had the same problem here, they built the new bridge so traffic could feel better.
Higher waters make the bridge too low for small boat traffic to pass under and flooding the too low bike path. Brilliant work on paper, for a few extra bucks?
As I listened to this episode, I needed a drink badly. I waited with anticipation for the words "Bab-el-Mandeb" but nothing!
Skanska, Swedish company, originally called Skånska Cement, before they went for the international maket, around the end of the Cold War.. I🤔
I have to ask why doesn't waste management have a waste treatment facility to clean the waist?
Lot cheaper and safer than hauling it down the river.
If that's not practical why don't they have a pipe system on the bed of the river to handle the waste transit to the waste treatment facility?
This is the material left over from the waste treatment facility for disposal.
@@wgowshipping Thanks I was curious what it was all about.
With all these bureaucrats, no one could figure this out?
In Virginia, touch a bridge fender system and get crucified by USCG
As a ex-Floridian, the high speed rail from Orlando to Miami will be incredible. The problems mentioned by Rep. Mast, whom I voted for and support, are transitory and will go away upon the rail project's completion.
The Brightline services are already running Orlando-Miami. The sticking point seems to be they haven't rebuilt the drawbridge in Stuart like they proposed at one point
Us midwesterners really have our ship together!
Hum this is my learned something new today item.
This entire video can be distilled to the fact that the tugboat captain is mad that he has to pass through a slightly more narrow channel. All of the video of the construction shown clearly shows a clear channel for the barges to pass through
It’s a much narrower channel, which makes steering through it much, much more difficult. In any case, the bridge construction won’t last forever and the channel will be fully open again within the next couple years
😂 Enjoyed it, good fun
Stay safe.
I have heard of the Dubai Poop Train. Sounds like New Jersey has a poop train now. Ew.