Amtrak Signs Approximately $242 Million Contract for Dock Bridge Repairs in New Jersey

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Amtrak has completed the award of major construction and project management contracts for the repair of the Dock Bridge in New Jersey, with the main work scheduled to begin before the end of this year at an investment of approximately $242 million.

The construction contract was awarded to Skanska, with LiRo-Hill responsible for project management and oversight, working in collaboration with Amtrak's investment division. This investment aims to modernize the nearly century-old infrastructure. Of the project funding, $188 million comes from a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant, with the remainder shared by Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH).

The Dock Bridge, located between Newark and Harrison, New Jersey, is one of the busiest segments of the Northeast Corridor (NEC), with more than 700 trains crossing daily. More than 200,000 passengers who currently ride Amtrak, NJ Transit, and PATH trains each day will benefit from this renovation.

The project scope includes reinforcing the bridge's steel structure, replacing tracks, upgrading the overhead power supply system, and signal equipment, with the goal of enhancing the safety and reliability of rail service over the coming decades. Due to age and wear, the bridge has experienced delays in recent years caused by failures in track, signal equipment, and the bridge lift system.

The Dock Bridge opened in 1935 and is a six-track, three-span movable bridge spanning the Passaic River, with four tracks used by Amtrak and NJ Transit trains and two dedicated to PATH service. At the end of 2024, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) approved converting the bridge from a movable structure to a fixed one.