Amtrak will begin major work in the coming months to rehabilitate the nearly century-old Dock Bridge in New Jersey after awarding key construction and project management contracts. This project will improve safety and reliability for more than 200,000 daily Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, and PATH customers traveling on over 700 trains through one of the busiest sections of the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

Opened in 1935, Dock Bridge is a six-track, triple-span moveable lift bridge crossing the Passaic River between Newark and Harrison, N.J. Four tracks are typically used by Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains, while the remaining two are used by PATH.

• Due to its age and deteriorating condition, the bridge has experienced reliability issues, including delays following tracks, signals, and other critical rail systems fail to align properly, as well as frequent service disruptions caused by failures of sensors and other components associated with the movable bridge systems.
• In late 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a permit for Dock Bridge that authorized conversion from a movable bridge to a fixed bridge.
• This project includes critical safety and reliability elements that will strengthen and reinforce the bridge’s steel components, while also replacing major rail infrastructure, including elements of the overhead catenary system, track, and signal systems, to improve service reliability for decades to come.

This project is being delivered through a Design-Bid-Build contract and major work will begin by the end of this year.

• Skanska was awarded the DBB contract and will perform the bridge rehabilitation work.
• LiRo-Hill was awarded the project management contract and will provide project oversight and support throughout construction, embedded within Amtrak’s in-house Capital Delivery Department.

-via Press Release