Amtrak awards two contracts for its Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project

Amtrak has selected the Skanska, Walsh and Herzog Joint Venture to conduct pre-construction activities along with future contract opportunities for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project’s full construction scope. This 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). 

“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,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “Amtrak is making strides to address decades of underinvestment as we rebuild America’s Railroad for the next generation. We thank our partners at [New Jersey] Transit (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’s final design phase and to perform construction management for the construction phase. This team will work closely with the Skanska, Walsh and Herzog Joint Venture and Amtrak’s in-house capital delivery department. 

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 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. 

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

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

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. 

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 requires extensive coordination with NJ Transit, PATH, Conrail and third-party utilities. The new design will modernize rail infrastructure while preserving operations during construction. 

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.