Amtrak awards contracts to Skanska, Walsh & Herzog JV and AECOM, STV JV for Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project, enhancing capacity and speed on the NEC. Project includes building new bridges and doubling track capacity for better efficiency and reliability. Funding secured through federal grants.
Photo courtesy of Amtrak
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.
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).
"Today's milestone marks an important step for this extremely complex and critical investment that will improve commuter and intercity passenger rail in the busiest section of the NEC," said Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery, Laura Mason.
"Amtrak is making strides to address decades of underinvestment as we rebuild America's Railroad for the next generation. We thank our partners at NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail, as well as elected officials from across the region for supporting this project that advances our common goal of enhancing and expanding rail service in New Jersey, New York and beyond."
Amtrak also has awarded a project and construction management contract to a Joint Venture of AECOM and STV for pre-construction support services during the project final design phase, and to perform construction management for the construction phase. This team will work closely with the Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture and Amtrak's in-house Capital Delivery department.
The Sawtooth Bridges were originally constructed in 1907 and serve as a critical link in the NEC, supporting more than 400 daily trains operated by Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT over tracks used by NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail freight trains. Their age and structural deficiencies limit train speeds to 60 mph, creating bottlenecks that impact rail operations for intercity and commuter services.
About the Project
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.
What's Happening
The project will construct three new bridges along a 1.9-mi. 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.
Innovative Approach
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 2-mi. 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.
About the Bridges
The 115-year-old Sawtooth Bridges have surpassed their design life, limiting efficiency and reliability on this critical segment of the NEC, the busiest rail line in the United States and vital to the nation's economy.
A 2013 condition survey confirmed that the bridges must be replaced. Replacement of the existing bridges received federal environmental approval in 2020 with the signing of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.
Final design of the new bridges is under way. Planning for enabling construction is advancing, with major construction slated to begin in 2026.
How it's Paid for
This project is highly rated on the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) NEC Project Inventory and has been awarded multiple grants through FRA's Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program to support project development, final design and construction of early-action, critical path activities. Amtrak is contributing the non-local match to these grants.
FRA also has issued a Letter of Intent for future grant funding to support the project through construction completion, following Amtrak's satisfactory completion of necessary project development lifecycle stages and grant program applications.
The Big Picture
Amtrak continues to transform rail and provide a high-quality experience, serving a record 32.8 million customers and investing an unprecedented $4.5 billion into major infrastructure and fleet projects in Fiscal Year 2024.
Recent milestones across Amtrak's portfolio of major bridge projects include:
- Portal North Bridge: Achieving 75 percent construction completion for this project sponsored by NJ TRANSIT, in partnership with Amtrak
- Connecticut River Bridge: Breaking ground and beginning major construction
- Susquehanna River Bridge: Kicking off early construction activities and completing the first early construction milestone
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