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Preliminary work is underway on the first heavy construction contract for the Hudson Tunnel project, according to Danish civil engineering firm Cowi.
The Gateway Development Commission awarded a $284 million design-build contract Hudson River Soil Stabilization Project to Kiewit subsidiary Weeks Marine earlier this year. Cowi will serve as design director and engineer of record for the New York City job, the company said in an Oct. 29 press release shared with Construction Dive.
The work is part of the $16 billion Gateway program, which will double capacity on the rail segment of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor connecting New Jersey and New York City.
Design of the containment structure is underway and construction of a test cofferdam was completed in October, according to Cowi. Construction work is expected to begin next summer.
The overall Hudson Tunnel Project involves building a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River between North Jersey and Manhattan, then rehabilitating the 110-year-old tunnel that was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 .The decaying tunnel is a bottleneck for New Jersey Travelers and Amtrak passengers, and President Joe Biden called the program Gateway “One of the largest and most consequential projects in the country.”
Weeks Marine will amend and stabilize the soil in the shallow area of the river near the Manhattan shoreline. This will prepare the ground for the tunnel boring machine that will dig the new tunnel and ensure the riverbed is protected from disruptions, according to a LinkedIn post by Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit.
Cowi is responsible for developing a temporary containment structure to protect the river bed from disruption as it works with Weeks Marine and its ground improvement subcontractor, Keller Group. Crews will complete each of the two 600-foot sections sequentially to minimize the impact on boat traffic, according to Cowi.
The full soil stabilization project is expected to be complete by 2027, according to Cowi.
