Amtrak has achieved a major milestone for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project, selecting a Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture to conduct pre-construction activities along with future contract opportunities for the project’s full construction scope. This important state-of-good-repair investment will construct multiple bridge structures with four total tracks, replacing the existing aging asset and significantly enhancing capacity, reliability, and speed along the most heavily traveled segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
This investment will address critical state-of-good-repair needs by replacing the aging Sawtooth Bridges with modern, reliable structures. Additional benefits include:
- Doubling track capacity with the addition of two new tracks (for a total of four).
- Restoring 90 mph maximum speeds, improving efficiency and cutting travel times.
- Enhancing reliability by reducing service disruptions and enabling seamless connectivity.
- Meeting growing demand for commuter and intercity rail services on the nation’s busiest rail corridor.
The project will construct three new bridges along a 1.9-mile corridor in Kearny, N.J., between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction:
- Bridge #1: Realigns NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Track 5, creating space for additional NEC tracks built with Bridge #2.
- Bridge #2: Features two new NEC tracks, adjacent to the existing Sawtooth Bridges.
- Bridge #3: Completely replaces the existing Sawtooth Bridges structures, which carry the two current NEC tracks.
Construction of the new bridges is being delivered through the innovative Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) delivery method, which improves project delivery time and allows design, pre-construction, and other work to proceed simultaneously.
- The nearly two-mile project corridor presents unique challenges as a congested area with limited access points and space that require extensive coordination with NJ TRANSIT, PATH, Conrail, and third-party utilities. The new design will modernize rail infrastructure while preserving operations during construction.
–via Press Release