George Harms Construction of Farmingdale, N.J., has secured a $247 million NJ TRANSIT contract for the initial construction phase of the Raritan River Bridge replacement project.
NJ TRANSIT Board officials said the funding allotment of $247,945,055.49, is part of NJ TRANSIT’s Resilience Program initiated post-Hurricane Sandy to strengthen transit and infrastructure systems while increasing customers reliability. The total project cost for all three phases is estimated at $595 million.
“We continue to make strategic resiliency investments in our infrastructure to ensure the long-term viability of the transportation system,’’ said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett. “The Raritan River Bridge replacement contract awarded today is a great step forward in ensuring our North Jersey Coast Line customers have robust and sustainable rail service that will better withstand the effects of extreme weather while meeting the current and future transportation needs of our customers for so many decades to come.’’
The initial scope of work includes bridge approach spans, lift bridge and flanking spans piers, and associated land work. The second phase will consist of the construction of the lift bridge and flanking spans superstructure, communications, signal, and overhead catenary work. Phase three will be the demolition of the existing River Draw bridge following the new bridge entering into service.
The existing bridge, known as River Draw, was heavily damaged during Superstorm Sandy and required emergency repair before being put back in service.