Skanska Wins £357M Contract To Build Vertical Lift Rail Bridge In New Jersey

The NJ Transit board of directors has awarded a contract for the construction of a new vertical lift rail bridge on the Raritan River on the North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) to Skanska Koch, based in Carteret, New Jersey.

The contract, valued at $444.4M (£356.6M) with an additional 5% allocated for contingencies, will facilitate the construction of the vertical lift bridge and associated components, including the flanking spans, communication, signals, overhead catenary and other associated site work.

This new bridge, slated to span the Raritan River between Perth Amboy and South Amboy, is designed to replace the existing swing bridge, which has been in operation since 1908. The current structure serves as the sole rail link for 17 of the 20 NJCL stations, connecting them to Newark and Manhattan. The video below shows the swing mechanism in action.

Despite being still operational and safe for passenger travel, concerns have been raised about the aging swing bridge’s structural integrity, particularly after it sustained significant damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The storm highlighted the bridge’s vulnerability to extreme weather, as the ocean surges and debris dislodged the bridge deck from its normal alignment, resulting in the suspension of rail services for three weeks during emergency repairs.

NJ Transit repaired the supporting piers of the current bridge to allow its continued use while a new bridge was designed and built.

The new vertical lift bridge will feature a two-track movable span, slightly offset from the original alignment but designed to connect seamlessly with existing NJCL mainline tracks. This modernisation aims to enhance rail service reliability for approximately 11,400 daily customers who make around 22,800 trips on average during weekdays, as well as to accommodate Conrail freight rail traffic.

Construction of the approaches to the new bridge is already underway through a separate contract awarded in June 2020. You can see work on the approaches in the below video from April 2023.

The overall bridge replacement project is partially funded by a substantial grant of over $446M (£358M) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), underscoring a commitment to upgrading infrastructure that supports both passenger and freight transportation in the region.

NJ Transit president and CEO Kevin S. Corbett said that the board’s authorisation of the contract “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.”

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