Hudson Tunnel Project issues bids for early works

The contracts announced today, for the construction of the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation, are early work components of the tunnel project.

The bridge will carry Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, New Jersey over the alignment of the new Hudson River Tunnel. The Tonnelle Avenue right of way will connect directly to the opening for the underground portion of the Hudson Tunnel at the western slope of the New Jersey Palisades.

It is the first early work in New Jersey for the new Hudson Tunnel and the first construction contract managed by GDC.

Construction is expected to begin this year.

The 2.4-mile two-tube tunnel under the Hudson River will provide a new connection between New York and New Jersey. The project also involves refurbishing Amtrak’s existing 112-year-old North River rail tunnel, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is the most heavily-used passenger rail line in the US.

The contracts, being procured on behalf of GDC with the support of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, include an Invitation for Bid for a contractor to build the project and a Request for Proposal for Construction Management Services for a firm to assist GDC in oversight and management of the project.

The two contracts include substantial Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) components. GDC intends to make SBEs and DBEs vital components of the overall Hudson Tunnel Project.

This first procurement step comes just over two weeks after President Biden announced US$292m in Federal funding for the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Section 3 early work element of Hudson Tunnel Project. Taken together, the two projects will mean early work on both sides of the Hudson River.

New York commissioner and co-chair of GDC Alicia Glen said it was “incredibly exciting” that early construction on the Hudson Tunnel project would begin in both New York and New Jersey this year.

“Tonnelle Avenue is a vital component of the project, and a down payment to keeping us on time and on budget on the entire Hudson Tunnel,” she said.

Amtrak commissioner and vice-chair of GDC Tony Coscia said today’s announcement was a major milestone in delivering the US’s most urgent infrastructure project.

“We know that even a planned shutdown of one of the current 113-year-old tubes would be crippling to the economy and to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, so we will continue to do everything we can to move forward in building a new tunnel,” he said.

GDC chief executive officer Kris Kolluri said 2023 was the year the Hudson Tunnel Project moved from planning to execution, and “starting work in both New York and New Jersey is the most tangible and visible demonstration of that”.

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