Amtrak has tapped the O&G Industries, Inc. joint venture. and Tutor Perini to replace the Connecticut River Bridge, located between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, Connecticut. The $1.3 billion project aims to improve the reliability and capacity of Amtrak’s intercity services, as well as commuter and freight rail operators in the Northeast Corridor.
Scheduled to begin later this year, the project will replace a 1,564-foot-long, two-track electrified steel truss bridge that has been in service since 1907. Handling more than 50 train crossings a day , the operationally inconsistent 160-foot bridge. The “Scherzer type” rolling lift span has increasingly caused cascading delays to both rail and sea traffic.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) environmental assessment, Amtrak evaluated 21 construction alternatives for the design-bid-build contract, including minor repairs, rehabilitation and various replacement options before choosing to move forward with a structure completely new
The new two-lane crossing, which will be located immediately south of the existing bridge, will feature a modern movable span that will maintain the existing 150-wide navigation channel. Other elements include new track, signals, catenary, power, communication, controls and security. With an expected service life of 150 years, the new bridge will support a maximum train operating speed of 70 mph, a 55 percent increase over the current limit of 45 mph, and provide an additional 6 feet of vertical clearance in the closed position by maritime traffic.
Hardesty & Hanover led the preliminary and final design of the new bridge and nearly a mile of grade approaches under a $65 million Amtrak contract awarded in late 2020.
AECOM will serve as construction manager for the project, which is primarily funded by an $826.64 million FRA grant, part of a nearly $10 million package awarded last November to Amtrak to support 12 major upgrades along the northeast corridor. The remaining funding will be provided by Amtrak and the state of Connecticut.
