The U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak have agreed to a revised scope for a planned rehabilitation of the rail Dock Bridge over the Passaic River in New Jersey, saving taxpayers roughly USD140 million. The new project scope prioritises safety, and cuts unnecessary requirements for vital Northeast Corridor bridge.
“Americans want their trains on time and safe. It’s that simple. Refocusing this project on these two priorities will fast-track a vital repair to our country’s outdated infrastructure and save millions in the process,” the U.S. Transportation Secretary said.
The revised scope of the rail Dock Bridge rehabilitation project will ensure critical safety and reliability elements but remove unnecessary aesthetic costs like enhanced lighting and defer some rehab work where structural elements still have a useful life. By strengthening and reinforcing the bridge’s steel components, Amtrak is extending the functional performance of the structure first opened in 1935.
In reducing the scope of the rehabilitation project, Amtrak will save both money and time. The cost of the project will be reduced from USD 375 million to approximately USD 235 million, and the completion time will be moved up nearly two years.
Although not providing all matching grant funding, Amtrak owns the bridge and is performing the rehabilitative work.
“(…) We will finish the Dock Bridge rehabilitation project plan faster and more efficiently, while also saving taxpayer money. This new plan will help us quickly increase the bridge’s reliability and safety, while also maximising the useful life of this critical piece of infrastructure,” the President of Amtrak, Roger Harris, said.
The aged rail Dock Bridge is often stuck, interrupting the free flow of passenger rail traffic of over 700 passenger trains daily. The revitalisation project will position the moveable bridge at a fixed position while vastly improving its structural integrity and operational performance. It is being rehabilitated with grant funding from the FRA under the Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail programme.
Once complete, the rehabilitated bridge is expected to significantly reduce delays and disruptions to passenger rail services affecting two hundred thousand travelers daily.
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