A contractor has been selected to construct the New Jersey portion of a train tunnel that will connect the Garden State to New York City.
On August 1, the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) Board of Commissioners announced that they’d awarded the $456.6-million Palisades Tunnel Project contract to Schiavone Dragados Lane JV. This is the first contract the board has awarded for the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP), which will see a new rail tunnel constructed between New York and New Jersey.
Work on the Palisades Tunnel Project is expected to begin in the coming months and be completed in 2027.
Schiavone Dragados Lane JV will construct the first mile of twin-tunnels on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River as part of the Palisades Tunnel Project. This will include boring two tunnels approximately 5,100 feet long with an inside diameter of 25 feet 2 inches and six cross passages, as well as furnishing and installing a concrete tunnel lining with waterproofing membrane. The contractor will also be responsible for constructing the Hudson County Shaft, which will be used to remove the tunnel boring machines when digging is complete.
In a joint statement, Alicia Glen, New York GDC Commissioner and Co-Chair, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, New Jersey GDC Commissioner and Co-Chair, and Tony Coscia, GDC Amtrak
Commissioner and Vice Chair, said, “When we signed the full funding grant agreement for the Hudson Tunnel Project in July, we said that construction would ramp up quickly. Today we are following through on that commitment with dramatic steps forward for our first heavy construction and tunnel boring projects. Advancing both of these projects is a major step in the construction phase of the HTP, and we will maintain the disciplined process that enabled this achievement.”
The federal government has invested nearly $11 billion through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans through the DOT’s Build America Bureau to help build the tunnel and rehabilitate the existing North River Tunnel. At nearly $6.9 billion, the CIG funding represents the largest grant ever signed by FTA.
“For decades, Americans watched one of the most heavily used train tunnels in the hemisphere deteriorate and become a bottleneck that affected travelers from New England to the Mid-Atlantic and beyond,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “…Using funds from the [Bipartisan Infrastructure] Law we are building a new tunnel that improves train travel for millions of Americans and revitalizes a rail corridor that is essential to so much of the nation's economy. And as one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure, this project can demonstrate America's capacity to build big things together in the 21st Century.”
The GDC Board of Commissioners also approved the authorization of a Notice to Proceed for Phase Two of the Hudson River Ground Stabilization (HRGS) Project, the first heavy construction project of the HTP. Phase One of the HRGS Project began in May and is expected to be conclude this fall, while Phase Two is expected to be completed in 2027.
Weeks Marine, Inc. is overseeing the HRGS Project, which involves injecting a mix of soil, concrete, and water into the riverbed in 1,200 feet of the shallow area on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River to ensure the tunnel boring machines can excavate the new tunnel and protect the riverbed from disruption. Temporary sheet pile cofferdams – a watertight enclosure from which water is pumped to expose the bed of a body of water – will enclose the work zone, and construction will be timed to avoid disrupting fish spawning seasons, in an effort to limit impacts on the river ecosystem.
The Hudson Tunnel Project is a key component of the broader Gateway Program, an initiative aimed at enhancing resiliency and capacity along a crucial 10-mile segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City's Pennsylvania Station (PSNY).
The NEC is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States, with over 2,000 intercity and commuter trains facilitating around 800,000 daily passenger journeys across eight states and Washington D.C. The specific 10-mile portion being addressed by the Gateway Program includes the North River Tunnel under the Hudson River, which has suffered from age-related deterioration, heavy usage, and damage caused by saltwater exposure during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
The HTP is expected to generate 95,000 jobs and $19.6 billion in economic activity, according to a report released in April by the Regional Plan Association (RPA).
“The $1 billion in construction contracts we’ve awarded so far are already creating thousands of jobs and pumping millions of dollars into the economy, and it’s only the beginning,” GDC CEO Kris Kolluri said when the RPA report was released. “Now this report shows the overall impact of the project will be even greater than we thought, and that the Hudson Tunnel Project is a big win for the region and the nation.”
America’s roads, bridges, and mass transit systems received a D rating in the latest Report Card for America’s Infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
In their findings, the ASCE highlighted a “backlog of rehabilitation needs,” urging that “Federal, state, and local governments must prioritize strategic investments to improve and preserve roadway conditions that enhance public safety on existing systems while also preparing for future roadways that will accommodate connected and autonomous vehicles.”
How GPRS Services Support Large Infrastructure Projects
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $550 billion in new federal investments for fiscal years 2022-2026, targeting roads, bridges, mass transit, water infrastructure, resilience, and broadband. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act provides over $5 billion through September 2026 for three new FHWA programs: the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program, the Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants, and the Environmental Review Implementation Funds program.
With this federal investment comes an increased focus on ensuring these projects are completed on time, within budget, and safely.
GPRS offers a full range of services for subsurface damage prevention, existing conditions documentation, and construction & facilities project management to help you meet these goals.
We use cutting-edge technology, including ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scanners, electromagnetic (EM) locators, 3D laser scanners, and remote-controlled sewer pipe inspection rovers, to safeguard your buried infrastructure and prevent subsurface damage during excavation. Our in-house Mapping & Modeling Team can transform the field-verified, accurate data collected by our SIM and NASSCO-certified Project Managers into a format that supports your planning and operations & maintenance (O&M) needs.
All this information is accessible to you and your team 24/7 from any computer, tablet, or smartphone through SiteMap® (patent pending), our project & facility management application that provides accurate existing conditions documentation to protect your assets and people.
From skyscrapers to sewer lines, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep you and your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of informational output is provided when GPRS conducts a utility locate?
Our Project Managers flag and paint our findings directly on the surface. This method of communication is the most accurate form of marking when excavation is expected to commence within a few days of service.
GPRS also uses a global positioning system (GPS) to collect data points of findings. We use this data to generate a plan, KMZ file, satellite overlay, or CAD file to permanently preserve results for future use. GPRS does not provide land surveying services. If you need land surveying services, please contact a professional land surveyor. Please contact us to discuss the pricing and marking options your project may require.
What types of concrete scanning does GPRS offer?
GPRS provides two specific but different scanning services: elevated concrete slab scanning and concrete slab-on-grade locating. Elevated concrete slab scanning involves detecting embedded electrical conduits, rebar, post-tension cables, and more before core drilling a hole through the slab. Performing a concrete slab-on-grade locating service typically involves scanning a trench line for conduits before conducting saw cutting and trenching to install a sanitary pipe, water line, or something similar.
