NJT Awards Second Raritan River Bridge Construction Contract
This second contract encompasses the lift portion of the bridge, and the Carteret, N.J., firm will receive up to $444,380,524 for the work, plus 5% contingencies for the construction of the lift bridge and flanking spans, communication, signals, overhead catenary, and other associated site work, according to NJT.
The new bridge over the Raritan River between Perth Amboy and South Amboy will replace the existing 116-year-old structure. It will be a vertical lift bridge providing a new two-track movable span, slightly offset from the original alignment, and linking back to the existing NJCL main line tracks at its northern and southern ends.
The existing bridge is a movable swing-span bridge, and is the sole rail link for 17 of the 20 NJCL stations to connect to Newark, N.J., and Manhattan, situated between the Perth Amboy and South Amboy rail stations. According to NJT, the NJCL provides service to approximately 11,400 daily riders making approximately 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 the lateral forces due to ocean surges,” NJT said. “Consequently, while currently still safe for train travel, the bridge suffered significant damage during Superstorm Sandy [in 2012], 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 a period of three weeks. Through these events, Superstorm Sandy demonstrated the vulnerability of the bridge to extreme weather events.”
Under a separate authorization, NJT said it repaired the supporting piers of the current bridge to allow its continued use while a new bridge was designed and built.
The overall replacement project is being funded in part through a more than $446 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
“Today’s Board authorization advances one of NJT’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 NJT President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett, who recently resigned from the transit agency effective Jan. 15, 2025. “The new Raritan River Bridge will replace a century-old structure, significantly enhancing both operational efficiency and our preparedness for extreme weather events.”
