New York Construction Report staff writer
The NJ Transit board of directors has awarded a $444.4-million contract for the second segment of construction of the Raritan River rail bridge to Skanska Koch Inc.
The new bridge, which spans the Raritan River between Perth Amboy and South Amboy, will have a center span that lifts vertically to allow for marine traffic to pass underneath and will replace the current 116-year-old swing bridge, which spins open.
“Today’s Board authorization 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,” said NJ Transit President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “The new Raritan River Bridge will replace a century-old structure, significantly enhancing both operational efficiency and our preparedness for extreme weather events.”
The contract includes construction of the lift bridge and flanking spans, communication, signals, overhead catenary and other associated site work.
The replacement bridge will be a vertical lift bridge providing a new two-track movable span across the Raritan River, slightly offset from the original alignment, and linking back to the existing NJCL mainline tracks at its northern and southern ends.
The existing Raritan River Bridge is a movable swing-span bridge and has been in service since 1908 and was not designed to withstand the lateral forces due to ocean surges. Consequently, while currently still safe for train travel, the bridge suffered significant damage during Superstorm Sandy, including movement of the bridge deck out of its normal alignment due to ocean surges against the bridge superstructure and the impact of large, wave-borne debris bearing against the bridge girders.
After the storm, inspections revealed the damage and NJ Transit repaired the supporting piers of the current bridge to allow its continued use while a new bridge was designed and built.
The approaches to the new bridge are currently under construction in a separate contract awarded in June 2020. The overall replacement project is being funded in part through a more than $446-million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
