Skanska’s joint venture with Traylor Bros. has delivered a testament to engineering excellence and innovation since breaking ground on the Portal North Bridge in August 2022. Spanning the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus, New Jersey, this pivotal rail replacement project embodies Skanska’s ability to integrate state-of-the-art techniques refined through years of bridge construction across the globe.
Prefabrication and Arch Float-ins: A Proven Method
One of the project’s hallmark achievements lies in fabricating three 400-foot tied-arch spans off-site—at the Port of Coeymans in Upstate New York—and floating them down the Hudson River for installation. This method reflects Skanska’s proven practice from earlier international bridge landmarks, such as those in the Øresund and Partihallsförbindelsen projects, where off-site assembly of heavy components improved safety and efficiency.
At Portal North, each arch, weighing approximately five million pounds, was assembled—including 60 cable hangers and embedded electrical and walkway systems—prior to transport, minimizing high-risk work near water and over active rail lines. The floated arches were then hydraulically jacked 60 feet onto precast piers at night, synchronized with tide and weather patterns to avoid commuter disruption and marine traffic delays.
Heavy Civil Equipment: Leveraging Liebherr Technology
To tackle deep foundation and pier erection challenges, Skanska deployed Liebherr LR 1300 SX crawler cranes and LB 45 drilling rigs, capable of installing steel and concrete piles up to 100 ft deep into rock. These machines, widely used in Skanska’s previous mega‑bridge projects, offer modular setup, high safety features, and self-loading capabilities—boosting operational time and reducing logistical complexity in constrained floodplain environments.
- Environmental and Subsurface Innovation
The site’s complex terrain—wetlands, swamps, and contamination hotspots—necessitated novel construction approaches. Skanska constructed trestle-supported causeways to protect rail traffic and sensitive ecosystems, adopted sealed cofferdams for chromium-laden soils, and pivoted on foundation piling strategy when encountering soft strata. These response measures echo Skanska’s successful adaptive techniques applied in the European bridge market, where dynamic soil and urban interfaces demanded onsite flexibility.
- Digital Tools and Lean Execution
Skanska’s execution also embraced Lean construction, BIM, drones, and IoT-enabled reality capture—allowing real-time monitoring, clash detection, and schedule optimization. These digital tools, standard in Skanska’s global infrastructure portfolio—such as in the Øresund Bridge and Western Europe rail expansions—ensured precise steel placement, timely inspections, and robust quality control.
- On-Time and On-Budget Delivery
By May 2024, the project had achieved 50% structural completion—within less than two years—without interrupting the critical Northeast Corridor’s 200,000 daily commuters . Skanska’s ability to choreograph offshore arch assembly, deploy high-capacity heavy machinery, and maintain continuous service demonstrates performance rooted in global best practice—leveraging safety, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.
- 🛠️ Final Insight
The Portal North Bridge exemplifies how Skanska’s legacy of innovative bridge construction—spanning prefabrication, heavy lift, and digital integration—is adapted to iconic U.S. rail challenges. The result: a transformative infrastructure solution delivered on time and within budget, reshaping connectivity across the Northeast Corridor.
📚 Further reading:
- Arch fabrication/floating techniques: Skanska media sitemasstransitmag.com+10usa.skanska.com+10constructionbriefing.com+10
- Heavy equipment usage (Liebherr cranes & rigs): Liebherr collaboration overview liebherr.com
- Subsurface and environmental solutions: Construction Briefing article constructionbriefing.com
- Digital/Lean integration and concrete pour: Skanska LinkedIn and innovation service pagesusa.skanska.com+1linkedin.com+1
- Halfway structural milestone: Mass Transit Mag masstransitmag.com
