Skanska Awarded Final Heavy Civil Contract for East Side Access

By TBM Staff January 10, 2019

Skanska USA has signed a contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to work on East Side Access, the MTA’s largest capital project. The contract is worth $60 million (about SEK 535 M), which will be included in the U.S. order bookings for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Skanska will construct a new 240-m (800 ft) tunnel structure and install new tracks and switches at the Harold Interlocking, connecting Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains to Grand Central Terminal. The award represents the final heavy civil contract to bring LIRR service to Grand Central.

Construction is set to begin in spring 2019 and will continue through mid-2021.

Skanska is one of the leading construction and development companies in the United States, specializing in building construction, civil infrastructure, public-private partnerships and commercial property developments in select US markets. Skanska USA had sales of $6.6.4 billion in 2017 and has approximately 9,500 employees.

East Side Access provides new Long Island Rail Road service to the east side of Manhattan, supplementing existing service to Penn Station on Manhattan’s west side and Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The East Side Access megaproject is one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects currently underway in the United States with a history that reaches back to the 1950s when discussions were first held regarding regional transportation planning. The project encompasses work in multiple locations in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx and includes more than 8 miles of tunneling.

When completed, East Side Access will serve approximately 162,000 customers a day, providing a faster and easier commute from Long Island and Queens to the east side of Manhattan in a new 8-track terminal and concourse below Grand Central Terminal.

The revised budget for the East Side Access project is $10.333 billion with a current estimate at completion of $11.1 billion. Revenue service is forecasted for December 2022.