By lyndamyer
In order to advancing the Hudson Tunnel Project, the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has commissioned two procurements, while the announced contracts on 17February, for the construction of the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation, were early work components of the tunnel project.
Linking the Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to New Jersey over the alignment of the new Hudson River Tunnel, will be the advantage of this bridge, whereas the Tonnelle Avenue right of way is due to connect directly to the opening for the underground portion of the Hudson Tunnel at the western slope of the New Jersey Palisades.
The determined date for commencing the construction process of this project, which is the first early work in New Jersey for the new Hudson Tunnel and the first construction contract managed by GDC, is the current year.
Being located beneath the Hudson River, the 2.4-mile two-tube tunnel is going to provide a new connection between New York and New Jersey. As the most heavily-used passenger rail line in the US, Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor’s existing 112-year-old North River rail tunnel, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, will also be refurbished in this project.
Including 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 contracts, was procured on behalf of GDC with the support of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Additionally, substantial Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) components are the subsets of these two contracts. Meanwhile, GDC aims to make SBEs and DBEs vital components of the overall Hudson Tunnel Project.
Following that President Biden announced US$292m in Federal funding for the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Section 3 early work element of Hudson Tunnel Project, this first procurement step comes just over two weeks after. Taken together, the two projects will mean early work on both sides of the Hudson River.
According to New York commissioner and co-chair of GDC Alicia Glen: “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.”
“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,” said Amtrak commissioner and vice-chair of GDC Tony Coscia.
Also GDC chief executive officer Kris Kolluri added: “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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