New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the bridge replacement work on Phase 1 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Park Avenue Viaduct Replacement Project in New York City has been completed.
The project saw the replacement of 8,240 track feet of the 132-year-old structure without disrupting Metro-North service, Hochul said. Additionally, the project is $93 million under budget and 51 months ahead of schedule.
“Today’s milestone demonstrates the transformative work we can get done in New York when we invest in transit,” Hochul said. “The Park Avenue viaduct is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Metro-North riders and now, riders will benefit from a more reliable ride for decades to come. Completing work on an elevated structure that dates back to the Gilded Age ahead of schedule and under budget shows what’s possible when we modernize our infrastructure and put riders first.”
The Park Avenue Viaduct is an elevated structure in East Harlem that carriers four Metro-North tracks every day. The viaduct ensure MTA can provide service to Manhattan for riders from the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, as well as the state of Connecticut. Constructed in the 1890s, the viaduct now requires reconstruction after more than a century of heavy use.
Phase One of the project began in October 2023 and saw the replacement of the full substructure and the superstructure from East 115th Street to East 123rd Street along Park Avenue. The project also saw the installation of new track, power, communications and signal systems across the new section. The project was able to replace whole sections of existing concrete and steel bridge deck with new prefabricated bridge units to replace 128 individual sections of track over 19 weekends.
“The Park Avenue Viaduct is a prime example of critical MTA infrastructure that had been left to rot for decades — but not anymore,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Our 2025-2029 Capital Plan is all about bringing infrastructure into the 21st century, and we look forward to bringing the same innovative and cost-saving approach that has succeeded here to projects all over the system.”