On Monday, Amtrak announced it has begun the procurement process for the Sawtooth Bridges Replacement Project.
The project, done in coordination with NJ Transit, is a key component of the Gateway Program to expand the busiest section of the Northeast Corridor (NEC). Recently, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded the project $133.32 million in grant funding for early construction activities. This work will modernize and expand a stretch of 116-year-old railroad that is 1.9 miles long in Kearny, N.J.
“Building the new Sawtooth Bridges requires significant coordination with our partners at NJ TRANSIT, PATH and Conrail and we are grateful for their shared commitment to modernize and bring this critical stretch of the NEC to a state of good repair,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said. “We appreciate the Biden Administration, Governor Murphy and Congress for providing and helping to unlock the IIJA funding that makes this work possible.”
Officials said the Sawtooth Bridges carry more than 400 trains per day in one of the most congested and complex locations on the NEC. Once completed, the new four-track structure will double the track capacity. The age and current conditions limits trains to speeds of 60 miles per hour.
Amtrak said it will publish advance notices of the procurement process on its Procurement Portal. The company intends to use the CMAR approach to deliver the project and expects to put out two Requests for Qualifications – one for the CMAR contract and another for the project, program and construction management contract. Formal Requests for Proposals will be issued in 2024, the company said.
“The Federal Railroad Administration is pleased to see progress being made on the new Sawtooth Bridges, and we’re proud to support a project that will eliminate a major bottleneck on America’s busiest rail corridor,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said. “Replacing and expanding the Sawtooth Bridges is one of nearly 220 FRA-funded rail projects moving forward since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration.”