Amtrak Awards Key Contracts to Advance Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project

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Complicated physical location demands extensive coordination with NJ TRANSIT, PATH, and other stakeholders

KEARNY, N.J. – Amtrak has achieved a major milestone for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project, selecting a Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture to conduct pre-construction activities along with future contract opportunities for the project’s full construction scope. This important state-of-good-repair investment will construct multiple bridge structures with four total tracks, replacing the existing aging asset and significantly enhancing capacity, reliability, and speed along the most heavily traveled segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

🎙️ Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason:

• “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.”

📝 Supporting contract: Amtrak has also awarded 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 closely with the Skanska, Walsh & Herzog Joint Venture and Amtrak’s in-house Capital Delivery department.

🚆 Why it matters: The Sawtooth Bridges were originally constructed in 1907 and serve as a critical link in the NEC, supporting more than 400 daily trains operated by Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT over tracks used by NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail freight trains. Their age and structural deficiencies limit train speeds to 60 mph, creating bottlenecks that impact rail operations for intercity and commuter services.

✅ About the project: This investment will address critical state-of-good-repair needs by replacing the aging Sawtooth Bridges with modern, reliable structures. Additional benefits include:

• Doubling track capacity with the addition of two new tracks (for a total of four).
• Restoring 90 mph maximum speeds, improving efficiency and cutting travel times.
• Enhancing reliability by reducing service disruptions and enabling seamless connectivity.
• Meeting growing demand for commuter and intercity rail services on the nation’s busiest rail corridor.

🏗️ What’s happening: The project will construct three new bridges along a 1.9-mile corridor in Kearny, N.J., between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction:

1. Bridge #1: Realigns NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Track 5, creating space for additional NEC tracks built with Bridge #2.
2. Bridge #2: Features two new NEC tracks, adjacent to the existing Sawtooth Bridges.
3. Bridge #3: Completely replaces the existing Sawtooth Bridges structures, which carry the two current NEC tracks.

👷🏽 Innovative approach: Construction of the new bridges is being 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.

• The nearly two-mile project corridor presents unique challenges as a congested area with limited access points and space that require extensive coordination with NJ TRANSIT, PATH, Conrail, and third-party utilities. The new design will modernize rail infrastructure while preserving operations during construction.

🚆 About the bridges: The 115-year-old Sawtooth Bridges have surpassed their design life, limiting efficiency and reliability on this critical segment of the NEC, the busiest rail line in the United States and vital to the nation’s economy.

• A 2013 condition survey confirmed that the bridges must be replaced.
• Replacement of the existing bridges received federal environmental approval in 2020 with the signing of an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.
• Final design of the new bridges is underway.
• Planning for enabling construction is advancing, with major construction slated to begin in 2026.

💲 How it’s paid for: This project is highly rated on the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) NEC Project Inventory and has been awarded multiple grants through FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program to support project development, final design and construction of early-action, critical path activities. Amtrak is contributing the non-local match to these grants.

• FRA has also issued a Letter of Intent for future grant funding to support the project through construction completion, following Amtrak’s satisfactory completion of necessary project development lifecycle stages and grant program applications.

🗺️ The big picture: Amtrak continues to transform rail and provide a high-quality experience, serving a record 32.8 million customers and investing an unprecedented $4.5 billion into major infrastructure and fleet projects in Fiscal Year 2024.

Recent milestones across Amtrak’s portfolio of major bridge projects include:

• Portal North Bridge: Achieving 75% construction completion for this project sponsored by NJ TRANSIT, in partnership with Amtrak
• Connecticut River Bridge: Breaking ground and beginning major construction
• Susquehanna River Bridge: Kicking off early construction activities and completing the first early construction milestone

To learn more about recent progress on other Amtrak projects, visit our infrastructure news page.

Reactions:

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader

“Today’s announcement on the Sawtooth Bridge represents another major milestone for the Gateway Program. As I’ve said before – we are all systems go! The Hudson Tunnel Project and its approaches are vital to the economic health and resilience of New York.”

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)

“Today’s announcement is a milestone for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project. I am proud to have helped secure $320 million for this project through the last two cycles of the FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail—Northeast Corridor program. This is an investment that will greatly improve the efficacy and efficiency of our regional rail system, especially along this section of the Northeast Corridor. The Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project has taken immense coordination and partnership between my colleagues in government and our counterparts at Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, PATH, and Conrail. I’m excited to see the progress we’ve made and will continue my work to ensure the completion of this vital infrastructure project.”

Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ)

“Finalizing the contract to begin pre-construction work on the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project means that New Jersey commuters are one step closer to having reliable transit that will get them to work on time and home to their families at night. I look forward to seeing Gateway develop further and will track its progress to make sure our transit system gets the repairs and upgrades it desperately needs.”

Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08), House Democratic Leader

“The century-old Sawtooth Bridges are an incredibly important connector for millions of Americans who travel across them by rail each year. This tremendous bridge replacement project will bring faster travel time and increased train frequency to millions of Amtrak passengers across the bustling Northeast Corridor. Thanks to House Democrats, working in partnership with Amtrak Joe and the Biden-Harris administration, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the law of the land and is funding transformative projects just like this to rebuild crumbling bridges, roads and tunnels all across the country.”

Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12)

“Replacing the 115-year-old Sawtooth Bridges is a critical component of the Gateway Program, allowing higher speeds and increasing reliability and redundancy by eliminating this bottleneck in the Northeast Corridor. I applaud today’s announcement of contract awards, a milestone step forward in the nation’s most significant infrastructure project. I’m proud of my work to champion the Gateway Program in Congress and look forward to seeing continued progress as construction is underway.”

Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ-06)

“Replacing the Sawtooth Bridges is a huge step forward for the Northeast Corridor. As someone who championed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it’s great to see it delivering real results—projects like this that tackle decades of neglect and make life better for commuters. These new bridges will mean faster, more reliable service, good-paying jobs, and a stronger economy for our region. I’ll keep pushing to make sure we have the federal resources to get it done.”

Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11)

“The Gateway Program is the nation’s most critical infrastructure project – it will reduce commute times, improve NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak service, and bring good-paying jobs back to New Jersey. The Sawtooth Bridges, located between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction, are critical to the overall project and to boosting reliability along the entire Northeast Corridor. I was proud to advocate and vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is providing federal funds to upgrade aging infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor, and am excited to see Amtrak award key contracts to advance the project today.

Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05)

“New Jersey’s 110-year-old infrastructure is literally crumbling and hurting the pocketbooks of Jersey families. That’s why the recently announced Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project upgrades are such a huge win for Jersey, by helping to ensure our commuters can get to work quickly and safely. I am proud to have helped write, negotiate, and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to secure so many critical investments like this for our state.”

NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett

“The Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project is a critical investment in modernizing the busiest sections of the Northeast Corridor, addressing delays caused by century-old infrastructure to improve capacity, travel time and reliability for our customers. We are pleased to partner with Amtrak on this vital project that will reduce service disruptions and deliver a more reliable experience for the millions of NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak riders who depend on the busiest rail corridor every year.”

PATH Director/General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe

“This project is critical to advancing our collective commitment to the riding public -– developing modern rail facilities and infrastructure that provide faster, more efficient and more reliable customer service. We thank our regional transportation partners for their efforts to make this a reality, for the greater benefit of their riders and ours.”

Tom Wright, President and CEO of Regional Plan Association (RPA) on behalf
of the Build Gateway Now coalition

“RPA celebrates the announcement today from Amtrak that the construction contracts, both preliminary and through the construction phase, have been awarded to replace the Sawtooth Bridge. Built in 1907, its replacement provides critical resiliency and redundancy, along with a doubling of capacity for the busiest segment of the Northeast Corridor. The Sawtooth Bridge replacement is a critical milestone in the broader Gateway Program, and we celebrate every step toward its completion.”