NJ TRANSIT ADVANCES BRIELLE DRAWBRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT
Board of Directors Approves Design Contract to Replace Existing Railroad Bridge Connecting Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach
June 11, 2024
NEWARK, NJ – NJ TRANSIT’s Board of Directors has approved a contract to initiate the conceptual and preliminary design phases of the Brielle Drawbridge Replacement Project. The project will replace the existing single-track movable bridge that is more than a century old, with a new two-track movable bridge to improve flood resiliency and maritime operations, while restoring two-track capacity to this critical rail infrastructure connecting the towns of Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach on NJ TRANSIT’s North Jersey Coast Line.
“When we talk about the aging infrastructure we inherited across our rail network, the Brielle Drawbridge, a critical link along our North Jersey Coast Line, is near the top of that list at 113 years old,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “This replacement project will add capacity and resiliency for generations of rail customers to come.”
The Board approved the contract awarded to Hardesty & Hanover, LLC of New York, New York – to provide conceptual and preliminary design and engineering services as part of Phase I of the project, at a cost not to exceed $7,708,478.47, plus five percent for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds.
Built in 1911, the existing Brielle Drawbridge is currently operational, but is beyond its original service life. The bridge is 1,162 feet long from abutment to abutment and it currently carries a single non‐electrified track and a maintenance walkway. The single-track movable span configuration, sits in between sections of the railroad that are two tracks, causing a bottle neck in addition to the 20-mph speed restriction (10 mph freight) over the bridge.
Phase I is projected to be completed by 1st Quarter 2027. The entire construction project is projected to be completed 3rd Quarter 2031.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.