Gateway Development Commission Releases Construction Update
Written by Gateway Development Commission, Agency Communications
Hudson County Shaft. All images courtesy of Gateway Development Commission.
NEWARK/NEW YORK –– The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has fully resumed construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP). Workers have returned to all construction sites impacted by the pause, and all construction activities that were suspended started again.
While workers are back on the job for now, GDC will have to pause construction again in two to three months if federal funding disbursements do not continue. In addition, contract awards for the Hudson River Tunnel and New Jersey Surface Alignment contracts remain on hold.
GDC is focused on keeping the project moving forward and has made significant progress on the HTP in 2026. Since the start of the year:
GDC completed the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge & Utility Relocation Project. The project was substantially completed in late 2025, when the bridge structure was finished, opening space beneath Tonnelle Avenue for the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to be assembled for launch. The work completed since then included paving and striping the last section of the new road on top of the bridge and other tasks associated with closing out construction of the project.
Components of the first TBM that will be used for the Palisades Tunnel Project arrived at the construction site in North Bergen, N.J., and are being prepped for assembly. The second TBM that will be used for the Palisades Tunnel Project shipped from the factory. Components of this machine will begin to arrive on site in March.
Hudson River Site
GDC’s contractor completed installation of the Hudson County Access Shaft slurry wall, which creates a watertight perimeter for the shaft belowground, and will begin excavation this spring.
Installation of pipes and construction of an overwater platform for ground freezing work around the Manhattan bulkhead in preparation for future tunnel boring started.
Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Site
The cofferdam in the Hudson River was shifted east toward Manhattan. Deep soil mixing to stabilize the riverbed for tunnel boring resumed within the cofferdam.
Manhattan Tunnel Site
Concrete placement for the tunnel floor, known as an invert slab, of the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 tunnel box has been completed, and installation of the walls is in progress. More than 11,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured to date.
Both images: Palisades Portal Site
