NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit and Amtrak are beginning initial construction on the Sawtooth Bridges replacement project in Kearny, N.J., the passenger operators announced today (Friday, June 26).
The bridges, dating to 1907, carry Northeast Corridor tracks 2 and 3 over NJ Transit’s Morris and Essex lines, Conrail’s Center Street Branch, and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson line between Newark and the World Trade Center. The staggered design of the viaduct structure that crosses those lines gives the bridges their name.
“This $133 million Federal-State Partnership grant for ‘enabling components’ will support critical improvements along the Northeast Corridor, delivering long-term reliability and operational benefits for more than 200,000 daily customers,” NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri and Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a joint statement. Amtrak has applied for $3 billion in additional federal funding for infrastructure work that would include construction for the Sawtooth Bridges, they said.
An Amtrak overview of the project says it involves the construction of three bridges. Bridge 1 will realign Morris & Essex track 5 further to the north; Bridge 2, made possible by Bridge 1, will be built next to the existing Sawtooth bridges to carry two additional NEC tracks; and Bridge 3 will replace the existing structure. The project will eliminate a current 60 mph speed restriction and allow operations at 90 mph…