Major structural replacement work has been completed on the MTA Metro-North Railroad Park Avenue Viaduct, one of the most heavily traveled and operationally critical rail structures in the United States. The work was completed 60 months ahead of schedule and $195 million below the original $960 million budget. Since October 2023, the project team replaced 196 bridge structures and more than 12,600 feet of railroad over 28 weekends, without delaying a single train.

As a key design subconsultant on the Halmar-led design-build team, H&H served as Engineer of Record for the new substructures and foundations, supporting their design and construction.

Modernizing a critical rail corridor

Originally constructed more than 130 years ago, the Park Avenue Viaduct carries four Metro-North tracks above Park Avenue in Manhattan. The structure supports approximately 750 trains and 260,000 passengers each day, carrying 98 percent of Metro-North service and every train traveling into and out of Grand Central Terminal. Replacing portions of the viaduct required the project team to perform major structural work within a dense urban environment while maintaining uninterrupted railroad operations. New foundations and columns were constructed beneath the active viaduct in advance of the superstructure replacements. During carefully coordinated weekend outages, crews used custom gantry cranes to remove existing bridge sections and install prefabricated replacements while two of the viaduct’s four tracks remained operational. Track, electrical, and signal systems then had to be restored before the full weekday schedule resumed.

Delivering through coordination and innovation

The accelerated design-build project required close coordination among MTA Construction & Development, Metro-North Railroad, Halmar International, and the design team. Innovative construction methods, extensive planning, and collaboration across the project team made it possible to replace critical infrastructure while protecting service along one of the busiest commuter rail corridors in the country. Completion of the major structural work strengthens the long-term reliability and resiliency of Metro-North service. It marks an important milestone in the modernization of New York’s essential transportation infrastructure.

H&H congratulates MTA Construction & Development, Metro-North Railroad and the entire project team on this significant achievement.