Amtrak Awards Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project Contracts (UPDATED 12/24)

Amtrak Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Rendering.

Courtesy of Amtrak

KEARNY, N.J. - Amtrak has chosen Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture to conduct pre-construction activities along with other contract opportunities in the future for the project's full scope of construction.

Additionally, Amtrak selected a project and construction management contract “to a Joint Venture of AECOM and STV for pre-construction support services during the project final design phase, and to perform construction management for the construction phase.” This team will work with Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture as well as with Amtrak’s Capital Delivery department. The New Jersey-based team “specializes in civil, geotechnical, structural and environmental engineering” and “has worked on more than 275 successful railroad design and construction projects in constrained environments.”

The project seeks to construct multiple bridge structures with four tracks in total and replace the existing bridge in order to improve operations along this particular segment of the NEC. The Sawtooth project is a component of the Gateway Program and is “bordered to the north on the NEC by the planned Harrison 4th Track project and to the south by the Portal North Bridge (PNB) project, which is in active construction.” The original Sawtooth Bridges were constructed in 1907 and see more than 400 trains daily. In 2013, a condition survey was completed and confirmed that the bridges needed to be replaced. The replacement of the bridges “received federal environmental approval in 2020 with the signing of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.” Major construction is expected to begin in 2026.

By doubling track capacity (and bringing the total up to four), it can restore maximum speeds up to 90 mph and subsequently improve efficiency and meet a growing demand for commuter and intercity rail services. There will be three new bridges along a 1.9-mile stretch between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction.

Bridge #1: This bridge will realign NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Track 5 and create a space for more NEC tracks built with Bridge #2.

Bridge #2: This bridge will feature two new NEC tracks that are adjacent to the existing Sawtooth Bridges.

Bridge #3: This bridge will replace the existing Sawtooth Bridge Structures completely.

The project’s funding comes through multiple grants awarded via the FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. According to the release, Amtrak is contributing a non-local match to these grants. As well, the FRA issued a Letter of Intent for future grant funding. This is in order to support the project through completion.

Construction will be delivered through “the innovative Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) delivery method, which improves project delivery time and allows design, pre-construction, and other work to proceed simultaneously.” Along the 1.9-mile corridor, therein lies congestion and limited points and space that require coordination with N TRANSIT, PATH, Contrail, and third-party utilities. The new design will help to modernize the infrastructure and preserve operations.

Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason said, “Today’s milestone marks an important step for this extremely complex and critical investment that will improve commuter and intercity passenger rail in the busiest section of the NEC. Amtrak is making strides to address decades of underinvestment as we rebuild America’s Railroad for the next generation. We thank our partners at NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail, as well as elected officials from across the region for supporting this project that advances our common goal of enhancing and expanding rail service in New Jersey, New York, and beyond.”

Snehal Shah, Vice President and Deputy Project Manager for the transportation northeast group at STV said, “Amtrak is making historic investments to transform the Northeast Corridor and we’re proud to support this vision. . . STV’s track record of successful delivery with Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT is built on strong partnerships, collaboration and transparent communication with all stakeholders.”

“We’re proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Amtrak by supporting this crucial transit upgrade, which is part of an array of generational federal investments in the nation’s rail infrastructure,” said Mark Southwell, chief executive of AECOM’s global Transportation business. “Our track record of success on numerous NEC bridge replacement projects prepares us to deliver safe, reliable and resilient rail connectivity that meets both current and future demands on the NEC.”

“We look forward to leveraging our extensive transportation resources, site knowledge, and experience with large-scale projects along the NEC to deliver innovative solutions that enhance rail reliability,” said Bane Gaiser, chief executive of AECOM’s U.S. East and Latin America region. “As Engineering News-Record‘s top Mass Transit and Rail firm, we are excited to support Amtrak in upgrading its tracks and bridges, improving connectivity along one of the world’s busiest transportation corridors.”