New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) has awarded a contract to Skanska Koch for the construction of the new Raritan River Bridge on the North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL).
The construction contract is valued at up to $444m, including a 5% contingency.
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The new vertical lift rail bridge will provide a two-track movable span across the Raritan River, positioned slightly off the original alignment.
Located between Perth Amboy and South Amboy, the bridge will have a liftable centre span to accommodate marine traffic.
It will connect back to the existing NJCL mainline tracks on both the northern and southern ends.
Skanska Koch will construct the lift bridge and flanking spans and carry out associated site work such as communication systems, signals, and overhead catenary, as part of the contract.
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By GlobalDataNJ Transit president and CEO Kevin S Corbett said: “Today’s Board authorisation advances one of NJ TRANSIT’s most critical resiliency projects, ensuring a more reliable and robust rail link for thousands of daily customers on the North Jersey Coast Line.
“The new Raritan River Bridge will replace a century-old structure, significantly enhancing both operational efficiency and our preparedness for extreme weather events.”
Serving as the sole rail link for 17 of the 20 NJCL stations, the current Raritan River rail bridge is a vital connector to Newark and Manhattan.
Operational since 1908, the existing bridge was not constructed to withstand the lateral forces of ocean surges.
This vulnerability was exposed during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which caused significant damage to the bridge, including the displacement of the bridge deck.
The storm’s aftermath saw a suspension of train services and marine vessel operations for three weeks.
Following the storm, NJ Transit undertook repairs for the rail bridge’s supporting piers to ensure its continued use while the new bridge was in the planning and construction phases.
The overall replacement project is backed by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) exceeding $446m.
Currently, the approaches to the new bridge are being constructed as part of a separate contract awarded in June 2020.
