The Hudson Tunnel Project’s Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project is more than 50% complete.
The early works component of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP) will create an access point to launch the TBMs for the underground portion on the New Jersey side of the new tunnel in 2026.
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) broke ground on the Tonnelle Avenue Project in late 2023. The work is due to be completed next year.
GDC commissioners said reaching the halfway point in just one year demonstrated the team’s expertise and GDC’s commitment to delivering the US’s most urgent infrastructure project as quickly as possible.
Tonnelle Avenue is a highway in North Bergen, New Jersey, that carries Routes 1 and 9 through Hudson County. The Tonnelle Avenue Project will create access for the TBMs’ launch by building a new road bridge.
The new bridge will enable traffic to flow during construction and clear the way for trains to pass under the highway once the tunnel is in operation. It will also connect the two portions of the Tonnelle Avenue staging site, which will serve as the primary staging site for future tunnel boring and other construction work.
The GDC is also making progress on the two other active construction projects of the HTP, setting the stage for tunnel boring to begin next year.
The Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 (HYCC-3) Project is building the link that will connect the new tunnel to New York Penn Station. The construction team recently completed jet grouting under the High Line and secant wall boring, and secant pile installation is on track to be finished before the end of the year. This will enable excavation to begin for installation of the tunnel box.
The Hudson River Ground Stabilisation (HRGS) Project is the first heavy construction project of the HTP. It involves injecting grout into the silt on the shallow riverbed on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River, then creating columns of soil mixed with cement and water to form a block of reinforced earth strong enough for tunnel construction to begin without disrupting the river ecosystem. Construction crews recently completed the first of multiple sections of temporary cofferdams that will enclose work areas, enabling soil mixing to begin.
In August, GDC awarded the first tunnel boring contract of the HTP for the Palisades Tunnel Project. Schiavone Dragados Lane JV will construct the first mile of the new tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. GDC expects to order the TBMs that will dig this portion of the tunnel before the end of the year.
