Hudson Tunnel Project, Tonnelle Ave Bridge, Utility Relo Over 50% Complete

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced at its Board meeting today that the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project is more than 50 percent complete.

The Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project is a critical early works component of the Hudson Tunnel Project that will reduce construction costs, traffic, and environmental impacts, according to the Gateway Development Commission (GDC).

The project reached its halfway point both on schedule and on budget, and is expected to conclude in 2025. A timelapse video highlighting this milestone can be viewed here.

GDC broke ground on the Tonnelle Avenue Project in late 2023. This early works component of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP) is essential because it will create an access point for launching the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that will dig the underground portion on the New Jersey side of the new tunnel in 2026.

The Tonnelle Avenue Project is creating 420 jobs and generating $86 million in economic output. In total, construction of the HTP is projected to create 95,000 jobs and generate $19.6 billion in economic activity.

In a joint statement, Alicia Glen, New York GDC Commissioner and Co-Chair, Balpreet GrewalVirk, New Jersey GDC Commissioner and Co-Chair, and Tony Coscia, GDC Amtrak Commissioner and Vice Chair, said, “The Tonnelle Avenue is a foundational element of the HTP. It will unlock the portal to the Palisades that will enable tunnel boring to begin and provide the main staging area that will be used for tunnel boring and surface alignment work in New Jersey.

“Reaching the halfway point of this critical project in just one year demonstrates our team’s expertise and our commitment to delivering the most urgent infrastructure project in the nation as quickly as possible.”

Tonnelle Avenue is a highway in North Bergen, New Jersey, that carries U.S. Routes 1 and 9 through Hudson County. The Tonnelle Avenue Project will enable the TBMs to launch by building a new roadway bridge supporting the highway, creating access to the entry point for digging. The new roadway bridge will enable traffic to flow unimpeded 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 Board also advanced the HTP with a series of resolutions concerning:

➢ Adoption of GDC’s FY2025 Operating Budget
➢ Authorization of additional Delivery Partner contract services
➢ A procedural bylaw amendment permitting Amtrak to appoint alternates to serve in place of the Amtrak Commissioner in the event of an unavailability or incapacity GDC continues to make progress on the two other active construction projects of the HTP, setting the stage for tunnel boring to begin next year.

GDC Acting CEO Patrick McCoy said, “We have made major progress since starting construction of the HTP last November, and the positive momentum propelling this project forward only continues to grow. In addition to reaching the halfway point on the Tonnelle Ave. Project, our construction crews are making significant progress on each of our construction projects. All of this work is creating thousands of good jobs and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity right now, and those benefits will only continue to grow.”

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. When this is done, GDC will be able to begin excavation to enable installation of the tunnel box.

The Hudson River Ground Stabilization (HRGS) Project is the first heavy construction project of the HTP. It involves injecting grout into the silt that makes up the shallow riverbed on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River, then creating columns of soil mixed with cement and water to create a block of reinforced earth that is 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, which 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.

About the Gateway Program

The Gateway Program is the most urgent major infrastructure program in the country – a comprehensive set of rail investments that will improve commuter and intercity services, add needed resiliency, and create new capacity for the busiest section of the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The NEC is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the country hosting more than 2,200 train movements and 800,000 passenger trips daily.