Skanska signs $163M design-build deal for Manhattan's East Side Greenway connector

Skanska has signed a $163 million contract with the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to design and build the East Side Greenway 14th Street Connector, according to the company's release on 21 October. Skanska valued the deal at about SEK 1.5 billion and will book it in US order intake for the fourth quarter of 2026.

What's being built

The project fixes a well-known pinch point on Manhattan's east side waterfront. Near East 14th Street the existing path squeezes down to about four feet between the FDR Drive and a Con Edison facility, according to Hoodline. The new connector will be an elevated riverside structure wide enough for two-way pedestrian and cycle traffic, linking East River Park with the Captain Patrick J. Brown Walk.

DDC's June announcement set out the civil scope: foundations, piers and superstructure, with amenities such as benches and drinking fountains in the early designs. DDC is managing the job for NYC DOT and NYC Parks, and the city will coordinate with Con Edison to keep the neighbouring East River Generating Station running.

The team and the timeline

Skanska USA Building is partnered with architects Claire Weisz Architects (WXY). DDC named them the apparent selected proposer on 29 June, and ENR reported that the other shortlisted teams were Walsh Construction and a Jacobs, Weeks Marine and Kiewit team. Design starts shortly, construction is due to begin in early 2028, and completion is targeted for the end of 2030.

"The permitting alone, given the marine conditions and the ConEd operations, is unusual enough" Layng Pew, principal, WXY

Why design-build

DDC says design-build will get the project built roughly two years faster than traditional design-bid-build. DDC Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa has made the delivery model a priority, and the agency points to earlier design-build jobs such as the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center and the Queens Garage.

Market context

It has been a busy month for Skanska on New York infrastructure. Days earlier, Construction Dive reported the completion of Skanska's $452 million contract to replace the George Washington Bridge's suspender ropes, the latest project in a 13-year, $2 billion rehab of the bridge. Marine and waterfront civil work around live utility assets is a narrow field, and the shortlist for this job shows that only a handful of teams compete for it.