The Daily Dig
The Gateway Development Commission has awarded the $1.29 billion contract for Package 1C of the Hudson Tunnel Project to the Traylor/Walsh/Skanska joint venture. The package covers the longest stretch of tunnel boring on the entire project and is expected to get underway in the coming months.
The scope calls for two new tunnel tubes, each roughly 7,250 feet long, running beneath the Hudson River between the Hudson County Access Shaft in Weehawken, New Jersey, and the 12th Avenue Access Shaft on Manhattan's West Side. Two mixed-use tunnel boring machines will handle the work, purpose-built for the varied ground conditions under the river: rock, soft soil, and a block of stabilized earth previously created by the Hudson River Ground Stabilization project.
Beyond boring, the package includes construction of nine cross passages connecting the two tubes, ground stabilization around a section of Hudson Bergen Light Rail tracks the new tunnel will pass under, and permanent structural support work on a section of the Willow Avenue Bridge between Weehawken and Hoboken.
The JV was selected through a competitive process reviewed by an evaluation panel that included technical experts and representatives from GDC, the State of New York, NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Amtrak. GDC's board approved the Market Case Estimate for 1C and authorized the CEO to issue a Notice to Proceed.
This award marks the sixth of ten construction packages now in progress or completed. With 1C joining Packages 1A and 1B, which are already under construction, contracts for all tunnel boring on the project have now been awarded.
Snapshot:
Project: Hudson Tunnel Project, Package 1C: The Hudson River Tunnel Section
Awarded Contractor: Traylor/Walsh/Skanska JV
Owner/Client: Gateway Development Commission (GDC)
Contract Value: $1.29 billion
Location: Hudson River, Weehawken, NJ to Manhattan's West Side
Tunnel Length: Two tubes, each approximately 7,250 feet
Boring Equipment: Two mixed-use TBMs
Additional Scope: Nine cross passages; Hudson Bergen Light Rail ground stabilization; Willow Avenue Bridge structural support
Status: Contract awarded; NTP authorized; work expected to begin in coming months
Package Count: 6 of 10 packages now in progress or completed
Program: Gateway Program, Northeast Corridor
TheJobWalk Thoughts
Six of the ten packages are now in progress or completed, and all boring contracts are awarded. For subs and suppliers tracking work on the Northeast Corridor, the procurement windows on precast segment supply, muck hauling, and grouting are open now. TBM projects of this scale have long lead times, and the time to be positioning is before the NTP, not after.
The mixed-ground TBM specification is worth paying attention to. Crews experienced in both hard rock and soft ground transitions are a limited pool in the tunnel trades, and that labor dynamic will affect sequencing and scheduling across the entire bore.
Nine cross passages add real concrete and structural scope. That work typically runs concurrent with boring operations as the TBMs advance, which means specialty concrete subs should be watching the NTP timing closely and getting in front of the JV early.
