Amtrak announced it selected the Flatiron/Herzog Joint Venture as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contractor for the construction of two new bridges and associated track work, along with two supporting contracts for the replacement of the existing 117-year-old Susquehanna River Rail Bridge.
The project for the bridge about 25 miles west of the Delaware line has received $2 billion in funding.
The announcement follows a year-long competitive procurement process that began in 2022.
“With the award of these contracts, we are one step closer to breaking ground on this crucial project that will unlock a significant bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor, reduce trip times and improve reliability for passenger and freight travel across the northeast,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “We appreciate the Biden-Harris Administration and FRA for the historic funding that has enabled this project to advance, as well as our funding partners at Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) for their support.”
According to an Amtrak release, federal Railroad Administration recently announced up to $2.08 billion in grant funding to support final design and construction for this project, along with 24 other projects totaling more than $16.4 billion of federal investment across the corridor. Two newly constructed two-track fixed bridges will replace the existing two-track moveable bridge and modernize overhead power, signal, safety, and security systems.
As the longest moveable bridge on the corridor the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge is used by Amtrak, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail and Norfolk Southern to support more than 110 passenger and freight trains daily. Crossing the bridge requires trains to slow to 90 mph.
Construction of the new bridges is being delivered through the CMAR delivery method. It’s a project delivery method where the owners hire a construction manager to oversee the project with a guaranteed maximum price. This approach is the second CMAR contract Amtrak has awarded in recent months, following the first major construction contract for the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program in Baltimore, another Amtrak bottleneck.
Amtrak has also awarded two other contracts to help advance the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge Replacement Program. This includes a project and construction management contract awarded to an AECOM-led team for the bridge construction phase. This team will beintegrated with the Flatiron/Herzog Joint Venture.
Fay Construction has also been selected to demolish and remove 10 remnant piers, which remain from an 1866 railroad bridge that was located just east of the existing bridge.
Final design work is underway for the two new bridges, which will be built in a phased approach; design completion is expected by the end of 2024 and construction is scheduled to get underway in 2025.
