Six-phase project will expand a constrained Boston rail corridor from four to six tracks while keeping commuter and Amtrak service running

Skanska Civil Northeast/Koch JV has secured a $1.06-billion design-build contract from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to replace the aging Draw One rail bridges at Boston's North Station, one of the Northeast's most operationally constrained commuter rail corridors.

“Replacing the Draw One Bridge is one of the most important rail infrastructure projects in Massachusetts history,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a March announcement advancing the project.

The project will require crews to maintain continuous Amtrak and MBTA service through years of phased construction. The MBTA selected the joint venture following a multi-phase procurement; VHB, a Watertown, Mass.-based engineering and design firm, is serving as design partner on the contract.

"The replacement of the Draw One bridges is one of the most significant infrastructure investments in the MBTA Commuter Rail system," said Ricky Carey, design manager at VHB. "Once complete, these new structures will deliver lasting benefits to one of the region's busiest transportation corridors."

The award covers replacement of two adjacent 1930s-era rolling-lift bascule spans crossing the Charles River with three new two-track vertical-lift spans expanding the corridor from four to six tracks while modernizing signaling, controls and approach infrastructure. 

The added capacity is intended to improve train flow into North Station and reduce delays across the MBTA's north-side commuter rail network, the agency said. The overall program budget is approximately $1.286 billion, according to project materials, with the $1.06-billion award covering primary design-build delivery.

Construction is scheduled to begin this month, with completion targeted for fall 2032—a timeline the MBTA attributed to the design-build delivery method, which the agency said shortened the projected schedule from an initial eight years.

The corridor serves more than 11 million riders annually and is central to the MBTA's effort to eliminate a longstanding operational bottleneck north of North Station, where more than 1,100 passenger trains cross the Charles River each week via infrastructure federal officials say is beyond its useful life. 

The Federal Transit Administration's final environmental assessment, completed in January 2025, documented 165 unique delay events at the bridge between 2019 and 2021, with average operational delays of nearly 25 minutes per event.

"We are proud to partner with the MBTA on this transformative infrastructure investment that will enhance reliability and support the region's growing transit needs," said Paul Pedini, senior vice president of Skanska USA Civil. "By leveraging innovative design and construction solutions, our team will deliver a future-ready rail network while maintaining uninterrupted service for the passengers who rely on it every day."

In addition to the replacement spans, the project includes demolition of the existing bridge structures, a new rail operations control facility, expanded North Station platform capacity and upgrades to tracks, signals and drainage systems. The team said it will deploy Alternative Technical Concepts to reduce in-water work and simplify construction staging.

 

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Source: Engineering News-Record

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