The NJ Transit Board of Directors advanced the construction of the new Raritan River Bridge on the North Jersey Coast Line by awarding the second construction contract, which encompasses the lift portion of the bridge.
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.
The $444.3 million construction contract was awarded to Skanska Koch of Carteret, New Jersey. It includes 5% for contingencies for the 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. The bridge is the sole rail link for 17 of the 20 NJCL stations to connect to Newark and Manhattan, situated between the Perth Amboy and South Amboy rail stations. The NJCL provides service to approximately 11,400 daily customers, making roughly 22,800 average weekday passenger trips, and accommodates Conrail freight rail services.
The current bridge has been in service since 1908 and was not designed to withstand lateral forces due to ocean surges. Consequently, while 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 passed, inspections revealed the damage, and train services and marine vessel operations were suspended until repairs could be made, resulting in no train service for three weeks. Through these events, Superstorm Sandy demonstrated the vulnerability of the bridge to extreme weather events.
Under a separate authorization, 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.
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