The Gateway Development Commission has awarded a $711.7 million contract for the New Jersey Surface Alignment, a key focus segment of the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel project that will connect the future rail tunnel under the Hudson River with New Jersey’s Northeast Corridor.
Approved on June 1, the contract was awarded to Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV following a competitive procurement process.
The award advances construction beyond the tunnel itself and into the infrastructure needed to connect the new crossing to the existing Northeast Corridor rail network.
With this latest award, seven of the 10 construction packages comprising the Hudson Tunnel project are already underway or complete, according to Gateway officials. Construction of the surface alignment is expected to begin by the end of the year. Gateway spokesman Jake McNichol said the project will be complete by 2030.
Four teams were shortlisted for procurement, but only Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV and Walsh Ferreira JV submitted proposals.
George Harms Construction Co./Hardesty & Hanover and New Jersey Alignment Contractors, an outfit led by Halmar International, declined to bid, Gateway officials said.
The surface alignment project will construct approximately 1.5 miles of new rail infrastructure, extending from County Road in Secaucus, NJ to the tunnel portal at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, NJ.
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The work includes 4,170 feet of retaining walls and embankments, 3,150 feet of viaduct structure across the Meadowlands wetlands and bridges spanning Secaucus Road and the active Conrail and New York Susquehanna & Western lines. The package also includes utility relocations, drainage improvements and other supporting infrastructure. Future contracts will install tracks, signals and other rail systems.
Officials said much of the alignment will run on an embankment adjacent to the existing Northeast Corridor or on an elevated structure across the Meadowlands wetlands. Construction will take place alongside active passenger and freight rail operations, requiring extensive coordination, staging and safety controls while meeting environmental protection requirements.
The package is the latest major contract award related to the New Jersey tunnel approach following Gateway’s selection of the Traylor Bros., Walsh Construction and Skanska USA joint venture for the $1.29 billion section of the Hudson River Tunnel in April.
Gateway CEO Tom Prendergast said in a statement that the project is “firing on all cylinders at our construction sites in New York and New Jersey” and will require “extensive coordination and careful planning” due to the variety of work and its location.
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The contract incorporates seven alternative technical concepts proposed by the contractor approved during the procurement.
Changes include the use of higher-strength reinforcing steel, lightweight aerated concrete infill in retaining walls, alternative test methods for shafts and drilled piles, mounted prisms for track monitoring, and modifications to parts of the viaduct and bridge access design.
Gateway said the concepts are expected to reduce costs, reduce environmental impacts and improve long-term maintenance.
The Hudson Tunnel project is the centerpiece of the broader Gateway program, which aims to expand capacity and improve reliability along the busiest section of the Northeast Corridor, carrying approximately 800,000 passenger trips per day.
Once completed, the new tunnel will complement the existing North River Tunnel, allowing the century-old crossing, which suffered damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, to undergo a complete rehabilitation while maintaining rail service between New Jersey and Manhattan. The overall project aims for completion in 2035.
