THE Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has awarded a $US 1.8bn contract for the Manhattan Tunnel Project, a key component of the project to construct a new twin-bore tunnel for the Northeast Corridor (NEC) beneath the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.
A joint venture of Frontier, Kemper and- Tutor Perini will deliver the Manhattan Tunnel Project that involves the construction of approximately 200m of dual-bore 9m-diameter tunnels west from the Hudson Yards concrete casing east of 12th Avenue to the Manhattan bulkhead in the Hudson River. Construction is due to start in the coming months with “substantial completion” expected in 2029.
The project is described as complex, requiring the navigation of several major sewers and other live utilities. Work will include removing obstructions that could slow or damage the tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will construct the tunnels beneath the Hudson River. The contractor says it will use a protective digging shield to provide the flexibility needed to navigate these obstacles as well as ensure that most work can take place underground.
The funding agreements are all in place for the full $US 16bn Hudson River Tunnel Project (HTP), which as well as building the new tunnel, includes rehabilitation of the existing North River Tunnel and construction of a new track box beneath Hudson Yards, which will allow trains to travel between the new Hudson River Tunnel and Penn Station.
“The Manhattan Tunnel Project contract is an important step forward for the HTP that keeps us on pace to deliver the most urgent infrastructure project in the country,” say Alicia Glen, New York GDC commissioner and co-chair, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, New Jersey GDC commissioner and co-chair, and Tony Coscia, GDC Amtrak commissioner and vice-chair, in a joint statement.
