A major rail infrastructure modernization effort in New York City has reached a key construction milestone with the completion of the structural replacement of the historic Park Avenue Viaduct. Halmar International announced that installation of the final prefabricated bridge units has concluded, advancing one of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's largest bridge replacement programs.
The completed work covers the section of the 133-year-old viaduct between East 115th Street and East 132nd Street in Harlem, a critical corridor supporting Metro-North Railroad service into and out of Grand Central Terminal.
Construction crews replaced 98 bridge spans using 196 prefabricated bridge units and installed more than 12,600 feet of railroad track during 28 scheduled weekend construction outages.
The latest milestone follows completion of the project's initial phase in 2025 and marks the completion of the structural replacement portion of the viaduct.
Halmar International used accelerated bridge construction techniques that enabled crews to remove existing bridge sections and install replacement units within limited construction windows.
The project incorporated three custom 60-foot Mi-Jack gantry systems to lift and position prefabricated bridge components in the constrained urban work zone.
Throughout construction, Metro-North Railroad maintained regular passenger service across the corridor, which accommodates approximately 750 trains and more than 260,000 passengers each day.
According to project information released by Halmar International, the work is progressing approximately 60 months ahead of the original schedule and nearly $195 million below the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's initial budget expectations.
The Park Avenue Viaduct Replacement demonstrates how accelerated bridge construction methods can reduce impacts on active transportation networks while delivering complex infrastructure upgrades in dense urban environments. For transportation agencies, contractors and infrastructure owners, the project highlights the benefits of prefabricated bridge systems, phased construction planning and close coordination to maintain rail operations during large-scale bridge replacement work.
Source: Halmar International.
