NJ Transit Watchung Avenue bridge replacement under way

Works began on replacing the temporary Watchung Avenue
railroad bridge Friday evening...

... by first ripping out the westbound tracks.

By Saturday morning, crews were lining up the
new permanent bays.

The new bays were constructed on Gavett Place
and trucked into position over the weekend,
for which North Avenue is closed to through traffic.

 

 

Working continuously since Friday night, NJ Transit crews have been ripping out the temporary bridge over the Plainfield station's Watchung Avenue crossing and replacing it with the new bays constructed on Gavett Place over the past few months.

Crews ripped out the westbound side during Friday evening and then the eastbound side after the last train left for Newark (shortly after these pictures were taken).

By the time I came back on Saturday morning, they had moved two of the bays from Gavett Place to Watchung Avenue and were locking them in place.

The historic end caps were restored at another shop and will be place on the facing ends of the crossing to complete the job.

Over the weekend buses ferry passengers between the Plainfield and Netherwood stations to complete their east- or westbound trips.

The work is expected to be complected by Sunday night and through service will begin with the first train on Monday morning.

Congratulations to the NJ Transit crews and engineers for this painstakingly complicated project.

Work will now begin on the same process for the Park Avenue project.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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