New York Construction Report staff writer
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has completed major structural replacement work on New York City’s 133-year-old Park Avenue Viaduct, finishing the work five years ahead of schedule and $195 million under budget.
The MTA awarded Halmar the $381.1-million design-build contract for Phase 1 of the Park Avenue Viaduct replacement. The contract was later modified, with the current amount listed at about $381.3 million for Phase 1. $765-million project, which involved replacing 196 bridge structures and more than 12,600 feet of railroad infrastructure over 28 weekends since construction began in October 2023.
The work was carried out without delaying a single Metro-North Railroad train, maintaining service through one of the busiest and most constrained rail corridors in New York City.
The Park Avenue Viaduct carries four Metro-North tracks above Park Avenue from the Park Avenue Tunnel near East 97th Street to the Harlem River. The corridor supports approximately 750 trains and 260,000 passengers each day and carries 98 per cent of all Metro-North service, as well as all trains travelling into and out of Grand Central Terminal.
“With nearly half of the viaduct’s girders dating to the 1890s, the MTA launched the project to reconstruct critical portions of the 1.8-mile structure between East 110th Street and the Harlem River Lift Bridge,” the MTA said.
The project focused on replacing aging sections between East 115th Street and East 132nd Street while keeping Metro-North service operating.
“This is what it looks like when government delivers: a major project to modernize essential infrastructure completed years ahead of schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars under budget, all without impacting service,” Hochul said.
The structural replacement was completed in two phases.
Phase 1 covered the section between East 115th Street and East 123rd Street. Construction began in October 2023 and was completed in October 2025 — 21 months ahead of schedule.
Phase 2 covered East 127th Street to East 132nd Street and began in May 2024. The final viaduct replacement was completed during the July 25-26 weekend, putting the structural portion of the project 60 months ahead of its original schedule.
Additional work remains, including track replacement, cable installation and removal of temporary fencing and girders. That work is expected to continue through September 2027.
The viaduct’s age made the work particularly significant. The structure dates to 1893, with nearly half of its girders dating from the 1890s.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the viaduct’s deterioration represented a risk to the wider Metro-North system.
“The Park Avenue Viaduct may not be glamorous, but its continued deterioration was a real threat to the entire Metro-North system,” Lieber said.
The MTA used several construction techniques designed to accelerate the work while maintaining regular train operations.
Custom-designed gantry systems were used to lift and precisely position prefabricated bridge units weighing nearly 190,000 pounds each.
The gantries allowed crews to install the units during tightly coordinated weekend work windows without relying on conventional crane operations that could have interfered with rail service.
An intertrack containment system was also installed to create enclosed work zones between active tracks. This allowed construction crews to work safely while trains continued operating on adjacent tracks.
According to the MTA, the approach reduced the need for flagging personnel, helping lower project costs while demonstrating a potential construction method for other narrow, active rail corridors.
Bridge components were also prefabricated and assembled off-site. This reduced the amount of construction work required directly on the viaduct, limited worker exposure to the high-risk rail environment and made weekend construction schedules more predictable.
The prefabricated approach allowed bridge replacements to be completed during 48-hour weekend work windows.
MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said the project demonstrates how major infrastructure upgrades can be delivered while maintaining service.
“Using creative design and construction innovations, this project is a hallmark example of how the MTA is delivering major upgrades across the system better, faster, and cheaper — and all while keeping New Yorkers moving,” Torres-Springer said.
The Park Avenue Viaduct is one of three major century-old structures forming what the MTA calls the Grand Central Artery. The group also includes the Grand Central Terminal train shed and Park Avenue Tunnel.
Metro-North is the second-most heavily travelled commuter railroad in the United States, and the three structures are critical to moving passengers into and out of Grand Central Terminal.
The MTA is investing approximately $2.9 billion in capital improvements along Park Avenue and at the Grand Central Terminal train shed to modernize the infrastructure and improve the reliability and resiliency of Metro-North service.
Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek said the viaduct project affects virtually every Metro-North customer.
“The modernized viaduct will remain a central artery of Metro-North’s operations, supporting safe, reliable service to and from Grand Central Terminal for decades to come,” Vonashek said.
