First tunnel boring contract awarded for Hudson Tunnel Project

The award includes US$465m for the total contract price and an additional 5% of the contract price for contingencies.

Work on the Palisades Tunnel Project will begin in the coming months and is expected to be completed in 2027.

The GDC also authorised 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 conclude n autumn this year. Phase Two will be completed in 2027.

The Palisades Tunnel Project will construct the first 1.6km of twin tunnels on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. It includes boring two tunnels approximately 1.6km long with an internal diameter of 7.67m and six cross-passages, as well as furnishing and installing a concrete tunnel lining with waterproofing membrane. The project also involves building the Hudson County Shaft, from where the TBMs will be removed when tunnelling is complete.

The HRGS Project involves injecting a mix of soil, concrete, and water into the riverbed in 365m of the shallow area on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River to ensure the TBMs can excavate the tunnel and protect the riverbed. To limit impacts on the river ecosystem, cofferdams will enclose the work zone and construction will be timed to avoid disrupting fish spawning seasons.

Phase One of the HRGS Project included surveying and the design and construction of a test cofferdam. Phase Two will include injecting grout into the silt on the riverbed to create columns of soil mixed with cement and water that will stabilise the ground above the future tunnel.

The GDC awarded the contract for the HRGS Project to Weeks Marine Inc in February.

It also approved hiring William Fletcher as inspector general. The inspector general reviews GDC’s policies and processes and recommends enhancements and preventive measures to minimise the risk of misconduct. Fletcher will also investigate complaints regarding fraud, waste, and abuse and administer and manage the Commission’s whistleblower programme.