WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak will cut some elements from a planned rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor’s Dock Bridge over the Passaic River in New Jersey, reducing the cost of the project by $140 million.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a press release that “refocusing” the project “will fast-track a vital repair to our country’s outdated infrastructure and save millions in the process.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation says the revised project will eliminate what it calls “unnecessary aesthetic costs like enhanced lighting,” while also deferring work “where structural elements still have a useful life.” By reducing the scope of the rehabilitation, cost of the project will be reduced from $375 million to approximately $235 million, the DOT says, while cutting nearly two years off the time to complete the project.
“This new plan will help us quickly increase the bridge’s reliability and safety, while also maximizing the useful life of this critical piece of infrastructure,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said in the press release. “It’s a big win for U.S. transportation, and a good example of how creative thinking and value engineering can make a project plan even better.”
The Dock Bridge is a six-track, three-span movable bridge between Newark and Harrison, N.J., dating to 1935 and carrying more than 700 Amtrak, NJ Transit, and PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) trains daily. A permit from the U.S. Coast Guard will permit the bridge to be converted to a fixed span. Details on the project in its original form are available on the Amtrak website.
