New York Construction Report staff writer
Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT have begun initial construction activities for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project, a major Northeast Corridor infrastructure investment that will replace nearly 120-year-old rail bridges and improve reliability for more than 200,000 daily rail customers.
The project is supported by a $133 million Federal-State Partnership grant for enabling components, which will fund critical early improvements needed to advance the replacement of the aging infrastructure. The Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project is a key component of the Gateway Program, a series of transformative investments designed to strengthen the nation’s busiest passenger rail corridor.
Originally built in 1907, the Sawtooth Bridges are located in Kearny, New Jersey, between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction. The project area includes an approximately 1.9-mile-long segment of right-of-way along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC).
The existing bridges carry NEC Tracks 2 and 3 over the NJ TRANSIT Morris and Essex Line, the Conrail Center Street Branch and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation’s PATH Newark-World Trade Center line. The structures are built on staggered viaducts, creating the distinctive “sawtooth” appearance that gives the bridges their name.
The age and condition of the bridges create challenges for rail operations across the heavily traveled section of the NEC. Structural limitations have required train speeds to be restricted to 60 mph, affecting Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, Conrail and PATH services that operate through the area.
The Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project will construct three new bridges to modernize the corridor and improve capacity:
Bridge No. 1 will realign NJ TRANSIT’s Morris and Essex Line Track 5 farther north, allowing construction of the second bridge.
Bridge No. 2 will be built adjacent to the existing Sawtooth Bridges and will provide space for two additional NEC tracks.
Bridge No. 3 will replace the existing structures and carry the two current NEC tracks.
Once complete, the project will replace the existing bridges while adding two additional tracks through this critical section of the Northeast Corridor. The improvements will provide safer, more reliable and more resilient rail connectivity, reduce service disruptions and restore the maximum authorized speed to 90 mph.
Officials said the project will improve on-time performance, enhance the customer experience and increase NEC capacity to help meet current and future demand for passenger rail service.
The construction announcement follows another major Northeast Corridor milestone earlier this year, when Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT welcomed the first train over the new Portal North Bridge. Amtrak has also applied for $3 billion in additional federal funding to advance further rail infrastructure upgrades in the region, including future construction funding for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project.
The agencies’ partnership extends beyond capital construction. Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT have also coordinated closely on operations and infrastructure maintenance during the FIFA World Cup, helping provide safe and reliable travel for fans and commuters.
The collaboration contributed to the successful movement of more than 185,000 customers to and from stadium events during the tournament’s first four matches. Both agencies remain committed to maintaining that level of service through the remaining matches and continuing their partnership to support commuters and intercity rail passengers beyond the tournament.
