First two contracts awarded for Hudson Tunnel Project

Naik Consulting Group will provide professional construction management and related technical services for the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project, while Conti Civil LLC will be responsible for construction of the project.

 
This critical early work package will be the first construction on the project in New Jersey and is expected to begin this autumn. Construction is also expected to begin this year in New York on the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing-Section 3. 

The Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project involves the relocation of utilities and the construction of a new roadway bridge for Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, New Jersey. The new roadway bridge will be located immediately above a new future railroad right-of-way, which will allow for a connection to the new tunnel portal at the western slope of the New Jersey Palisades. It will also provide construction access between the staging sites on either side of Tonnelle Avenue.

The contract awards mean five of the nine contemplated Hudson Tunnel Project packages will be in procurement or construction by October.

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy said awarding the first two contracts was “a pivotal milestone for the most important infrastructure project in the country”.

“These awards signify, unequivocally, that Gateway is continuing to charge full-steam ahead, advancing far further than any of its predecessor projects abandoned by previous administrations. By breaking ground on the crucial Tonnelle Avenue project later this year, we build upon that momentum and the synergies we have forged between our partners in Washington and across the Hudson,” he said.

The GDC also passed a series of resolutions concerning:

• A Market Case Estimate of US$47.3m for the Tonnelle Avenue project, including all final negotiated costs and contingencies related to the project’s construction and delivery, and authorising the execution of construction funding agreements with project partners;
• A Supporting or Executing Partner Agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for services in support of the tunnelling and heavy civil work of the HTP;
• Labour agreements between GDC and labour unions undertaking work on the Hudson River Ground Stabilisation Project;  
• A stipend programme to support the Manhattan Tunnel Project procurement process; and
• Appointment of Robert Hickman as chief administrative and legislative officer of the Gateway Development Commission.

In August the GDC revealed a shortlist of three firms for the Hudson River Ground Stablisation project (HRGS). The three teams are: Weeks Marine Inc; Walsh Traylor Bros JV; and Cashman Trevi Icos JV.

The design and build HRGS is a key element of the Gateway Program for the new river crossing between New York and New Jersey. It will fortify and stabilise the riverbed on the New York side of the Hudson River over a 366m section leading to the Manhattan Bulkhead. The work will improve conditions for the new tunnel to be bored through the eastern portion of the Hudson River section of the project.

The US$16bn Gateway Program involves building the new 3.9km two-tube Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River, between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City’s Penn Station, and refurbishing Amtrak’s existing 112-year-old North River rail tunnel, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.