Rail Line Lifting Bridge To Improve Surge Resilience

NJ Transit has awarded a contract for the lifting portion of the structure that will replace Raritan River Bridge on the North Jersey Coast Line in the north east of the USA.

A visualisation of the lifting portion of the new Raritan River Bridge, New Jersey, USA. Credit: NJ Transit

Skanska won the contract, which is not to exceed US$444.3 million. It will build a replacement vertical lift bridge with two tracks. The alignment is slightly offset from the current structure, but it will link back to the existing tracks.

The Raritan River Bridge presently includes a moveable span that swings open to allow passage of ships. It was completed in 1908 but does not have capacity to withstand lateral forces exerted by ocean surges during storm events. NJ Transit considers the structure safe for train travel, but acknowledges that it was damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The surges and debris strikes left the deck out of alignment.

Work continues on the approaches to the new bridge under a separate contract.