USA: New York State Department of Transportation has awarded Skanska a design and build contract for the $634·8m replacement of the Livingston Avenue Bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer across the Hudson River.
The 390 m bridge incorporating a swing section is owned by CSX and leased to Amtrak. It carries 12 Amtrak passenger trains and between two and six CPKC and CSX freight trains a day, but is nearing the end of its serviceable life and does not meet modern standards for speeds, weight and clearances.
The replacement seven-span double-track bridge will incorporate a vertical lift section.
Completion is planned for summer 2028, enabling the operation of faster passenger and freight trains and providing a pedestrian and cycle path.
The project is being funded as part of NYSDOT’s $33bn five-year capital plan.
‘This new structure will provide a safer, more resilient and more efficient crossing of the Hudson River for passenger and freight trains, which will improve service and reduce delays’, said NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez on July 12. ‘The bridge will also tie the communities along the Hudson River closer together and promote recreation and tourism by providing a direct pedestrian and bicyclist connection between the Albany-Rensselaer Station and the Albany Skyway and Empire State Trail.’
