The New York City Subway system’s Rockaway Line, which connects the Rockaway Peninsula to Queens and the rest of the city, was extensively damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Since then, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has made repairs to the 4-mile stretch of line — a major commuting and recreation route over the Broad Channel and Jamaica Bay.
In 2022, MTA issued bids for a much-needed overhaul to modernize and repair the more than 65-year-old system while making the line more resilient against climate change and future weather events.
Schiavone Construction Co. LLC was awarded the $400 million design-build project in late 2022. The firm quickly began working with MTA to create the design and plan construction.
“When you participate in a design-build job, it’s important to get everybody involved in the design phase. The more you plan and coordinate operations, the better chance you have to be successful,” said Javier Borobia, Schiavone Construction’s Project Manager. “The design-build concept is challenging, and the best way to manage it is to get everybody involved on day one.”
In 2023, the team began repairing elements of the Rockaway Line Viaduct structure west and east of Hammels Wye. During Superstorm Sandy, storm debris washed onto the train tracks, causing significant damage. To prevent damage from future strong storms, the team installed debris shields to protect the tracks and built 12-foot-high, 900-foot-long wave barriers to protect the tracks’ embankments. Riprap composed of large boulders and rock was installed at the base of the tracks to prevent erosion from daily tides and storm surges as well as water damage to track infrastructure.
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These project components required all team members to work safely along an operational subway line. The MTA provided flaggers to protect workers, infrastructure, and equipment from moving trains. All workers were required to go through MTA safety training to learn how to work safely near the rail. For some parts of the project, Schiavone Construction worked with MTA to schedule temporary shutdowns of the subway line during weekends and nights to avoid commuter disruption.
“During shutdowns, we needed to be very effective and focused to complete activities that cannot be done with train traffic,” Borobia said.
In early 2025, Schiavone Construction Co. merged with John P. Picone Inc. and E.E. Cruz & Company Inc. to form SPC Construction, a major player in the New York and New Jersey metro area for civil construction. The team began the most intensive part of the project — major construction on the Hammels Wye Viaduct and South Channel Bridge that needed to be completed in just 17 weeks.
All trains must cross the Hammels Wye Viaduct to access the Rockaway Peninsula. On the structure, trains split, heading east or west on the peninsula. More than 60 years of exposure to the elements and hurricane damage resulted in significant wear and tear to the viaduct, requiring a full replacement.
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SPC Construction began by demolishing the viaduct, including the track system and concrete deck. Then the team built a modern and resilient structure with a new girder, precast deck, and ballast bed. The new Hammels Wye Viaduct includes 250 tons of steel, 1,600 feet of reconstructed structure rail, 37 steel girders, 700 concrete ties, and 856 tons of stone ballast. The team also modernized all signals and power systems on the viaduct, including 2,340 feet of traction power cable, 8,000 feet of signal cable, and a new track switch.
Trains to the peninsula also must cross the South Channel Bridge, which was an outdated movable bridge in desperate need of repair. The bridge’s aging mechanical and electrical technology often malfunctioned and made returning the bridge to its closed position difficult, causing significant delays to train service.
SPC Construction brought in a mobile bridge coordinator who was a specialist in single-span and mobile bridges to help streamline construction. The team repaired remaining infrastructure damage from Superstorm Sandy and replaced electrical and mechanical systems. The new South Channel Bridge is a single-span bridge that includes upgraded mechanical and electrical control systems to reliably and efficiently control bridge movement.
Bridge construction leveraged barges in the water below to transport key materials, as well as perform construction activities like changing the motors, brakes, and other machinery that make the bridge open and close.
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The Hammels Wye Viaduct and South Channel Bridge construction required the subway line to be closed for 17 weeks. All work was required to be completed in that time, requiring a meticulously planned schedule and a strong commitment to collaboration and keeping the project moving forward.
“The portion of this job that required shutting down the subway line was one of the biggest challenges,” Borobia said. “It was already a tight schedule, and a huge amount of work had to be performed in 17 weeks to reduce the impact of not having train service for the Rockaway community.”
The team created a schedule for construction during the 17-week period that included all means, methods, and materials needed for completion. They created day-by-day — and for some elements hour-by-hour — schedules that included the work to be completed, the teams to complete each component, and the materials required.
“We spent more than one year planning it, making sure all materials, especially the critical ones, were in the field before the work began,” Borobia said. “We put together a team that understood the commitment. We all needed to have the mindset of 17 weeks of hard work, while being flexible to the plan and reacting to find solutions to all situations that arose.”
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To complete the work on time, the team leveraged 200 employees working in two 10-hour shifts each day, seven days per week. The team followed up on a daily basis to make sure all work went according to plan and to deploy any contingency plans if needed.
The team successfully executed construction on the Hammels Wye Viaduct and South Channel Bridge in the allotted 17 weeks. Train service has resumed, allowing commuters easy access to other parts of the city and vacationers to visit the beaches during the summer season.
The new, modern bridge provides reliable movement that allows barges to efficiently pass underneath — a key component considering the channel serves as the main route for barges carrying fuel to John F. Kennedy International Airport. A new movable bridge also prevents delays and improves the reliability of subway service.
SPC Construction worked closely with MTA to alter train schedules, as well as keep employees safe while trains were operating. The team worked hard to maintain a collaborative relationship with MTA throughout the entire process.
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“Projects like this are a team effort that requires a lot of coordination, so it’s important to have a good relationship with the owner to move the project to the finish line,” Borobia said. “Working well together depends on the team you have, the willingness of everyone to get things done, and a focus on doing the right thing and finding the right solutions rather than fighting.”
Before the scheduled completion date in late 2026, the team will complete interlocking infrastructure, additional structural repairs along the line, and construct a new, elevated signal tower at the Beach 105 Street Station. Hurricane Sandy damaged the Beach 116 Street Station Signal Tower, and MTA recognized the need for redundant communications systems. The new signal tower will provide redundancy in emergencies to keep train service operational during future strong storms.
- Liebherr LR 1200
- Liebherr LR 1300
- Liebherr LR 1600 main boom for heavy lifting
- Liebherr LR 1600 with a luffing jib for increased reach and lifting capacity
- Three Komatsu 490 Backhoes with grapples for concrete demolition
- J&M Model V44-50 Vibratory Pile Driver/Extractor to construct the wave barrier
- Owner: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, New York
- General Contractor: SPC Construction, Secaucus, New Jersey
- Designer and Engineer: EXP, Brampton, Ontario
- Other Contractors: TC Electric, LLC, Great Neck, New York; J-Track, Great Neck, New York; L&M Fab & Machine Inc., Bath, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy of SPC Construction
