By rosebell
Considering that the TBMs are due to construct the first 1.6km of the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, their manufacture is nearing completion, whereas the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) says the procurement, manufacture, and factory assembly of the first and second Herrenknecht TBM is 85% and 73% complete, respectively.
While the scheduled date for completion of the first TBM is the coming weeks, the second will be completed by November. Once the factory acceptance test would be done in autumn, in order to being reassembled on site, the TBMs are going to be shipped to New Jersey and tunnel’s excavation process will commence in 2026.
Stretching from the New Jersey entrance at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to the access shaft in Hudson County, boring of the first 1.6km of the Hudson Tunnel’s parallel tubes will be up to the TBMs currently being manufactured.
With a daily advancement of almost 9m, the TBMs will dig the two parallel tunnel tubes, and are expected to take a year to complete this section.
With the aim of monitoring the TBM’s position underground, wear and tear on key components, air quality inside the tunnel, as well as other metrics to ensure safe, efficient operation, there are more than 1,000 sensors throughout each machine and they are 1,680-ton each have an 8.7m-diameter and are 152m long.
According to GDC CEO Tom Prendergast: “Building a tunnel under a river was a remarkable challenge. The TBMs that we will use for the Hudson Tunnel Project are massive, highly complex machines, and it took nearly two years of construction to prepare for their arrival. Thousands of people across multiple construction teams are working incredibly hard to reach this important milestone on schedule.”
In order to providing engineer of record and engineering services during construction for the remaining HTP construction projects, the GDC board has also authorised the GDC to conclude a new contract with Gateway Trans Hudson Partnership Engineering (GTHPE).
Invovling all construction projects currently in progress and future HTP construction packages, GTHPE has supported planning and construction of the HTP under a contract with Amtrak since 2013.
Additionally, the board authorised GDC to execute a Project Labour Agreement (PLA) for the NJ Surface Alignment Project.
