The Oak Point Link, also known as the South Bronx–Oak Point Link, is a long railroad line in the Bronx, New York City, United States, along the east bank of the Harlem River. It connects the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line (on the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad section) with the Harlem River Intermodal Yard and the CSX Transportation Oak Point Yard at the north end of the Hell Gate Bridge. History In 1975, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) began planning a set of improvements to modernize the freight system for the New York City and Long Island area to promote increased rail freight service and to expand and stabilize the existing industrial job base. A key element of the plan was the raising of 18 low overhead bridges between Selkirk Yard near Albany and Highbridge Facility in the Bronx to have vertical clearances of at least ; this project was estimated to be completed in 1982. The increased vertical clearance was intended to allow 25% of conventional boxcars and trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) fleets to operate along New York City's freight lines; TOFCs could only reach New York City from rail terminals in New Jersey. At the time, freight access via the Hudson Division was limited by overhead clearances of and capacity limitations due to passage over the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson commuter rail lines. New York State's Intermodal Study found that 9.6 percent of conventional rail cars in the United States were too high to use the Hudson Division in 1977, a number that increased to 15.4 percent in 1979 and was expected to soon increase to 40 percent. To avoid clearance issues on the Hudson Division, 6,000 cars were rerouted via Springfield, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut, a route that provided an addition of clearance, but delayed shipments by 24 to 36 hours and added of travel. In September 1981, an Environmental Assessment was published by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the NYSDOT to address the development of a TOFC facility at the Harlem River Yard and to provide clearance improvements between Highbridge Yard and Oak Point Yard. On December 3, 1981, the USCG published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. The project's funding was provided by the 1974 Rail Preservation Bond Act and the 1979 Energy Conservation Bond Issue, and from the Port Authority