Skanska is one of the oldest construction companies worldwide, based out of Sweden, its largest branch is in the US. Skanska USA is one of the leading contractors for public works in the United States. 

In recent months the company has been entrusted with rebuilding New Jersey’s Portal North Bridge and redeveloping part of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. 

The Portal North Bridge is a crucial component of the upper Gateway Program, a series of rail efforts named the "most urgent" infrastructure project in the United States. The present movable bridge, 111 years old and in bad shape, gets stuck as it swings up to let ships pass through, causing traffic congestion along the Northeast Corridor.

For this reason, it is being replaced with a $1.56 billion bridge whose construction began recently. 

According to a news release, the project would expedite rail freight and commutes for NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers and represents the largest construction contract ever awarded by NJ Transit. A joint venture between Skanska and Traylor Bros. is constructing the new bridge.

It will take approximately five and a half years to complete the new span, which will double rail capacity and reduce congestion in the corridor.

The existing 2.44-mile Portal North, which connects Secaucus, New York, and Kearny, New Jersey, will be replaced by a two-track, fixed-span bridge that would raise 50 feet above the Hackensack River to allow maritime traffic to pass underneath without interfering with rail service. The new bridge will be constructed alongside the old Portal North.

Construction of retaining walls, deep foundations, concrete piers, structural steel bridge spans, rail systems, destruction of the current bridge, and more are included in the contract expenses. It is funded by the Department of Transportation, the Transportation Trust Fund, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Amtrak. NJ Transit will be the principal owner of the bridge, while Amtrak will maintain it.

"This project turns the Portal North Bridge from a choke point to an access point. It modernizes the way that people and goods get to and from this region that is responsible for 20% of America's economic product every year," explained Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Meanwhile, the Virginia Port Authority has chosen Skanska for an offshore wind project worth $223 million in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The project will rehabilitate roughly 72 acres of the 287-acre Portsmouth Marine Terminal for use as an offshore wind staging port and enhance 1,500 feet of an existing 3,540-foot wharf.

The reconstruction is part of the largest energy project of its sort in the United States, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The CVOW's pilot project, which was finished in October 2020, consists of two 6-megawatt wind turbines located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. It was the first wind farm to be erected offshore on federal waters.

Skanska's contributions to the project include

1. Building a delivery dock for wind turbine generators, a loud-out berth for wind turbine generators, and a berth for steel tube monopiles.
2. Dredging a channel and access space to support a mooring arrangement.
3. Strengthening the upland soils and surface to accommodate surface loads from cranes, transporters, and transitional piece components.
4. Installing perimeter fencing, stormwater collection systems, and high-mast lighting.

Skanska has previously completed two projects for the Virginia Port Authority: phase 2 of the expansion of Norfolk International Terminal's north pier and phase 1 of the renovation of NIT South. 

Contractor News has previously reported on the $9.8 billion offshore wind farm and its giant potential for the state of Virginia.