The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has awarded the contract for Hudson Tunnel Project Construction Package 3: The New Jersey Surface Alignment to Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV.

The NJ Surface Alignment Project will build approximately 1.5 miles of new infrastructure that will support the tracks connecting the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to the existing Northeast Corridor. Construction associated with the project is expected to begin in 2026.

Seven of the 10 construction packages that make up the Hudson Tunnel Project are now in progress or completed. Construction is creating tens of thousands of jobs and driving billions of dollars in economic activity in the region and across the country.

“The award of the New Jersey Surface Alignment contract marks another major step forward for the most important infrastructure project in America,” said New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

“One of the Hudson Tunnel Project construction packages is complete, and six are now underway, creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, generating billions in economic activity for the region and the country and building a reliable and resilient transportation system riders can depend on.

“The Hudson Tunnel Project will strengthen our infrastructure for generations while proving what is possible when government invests in the future.”

The New Jersey Surface Alignment Project will build 7,540 feet of new infrastructure from County Road in Secaucus to the tunnel portal at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen.

This infrastructure will enable the installation of future tracks connecting the new tunnel under the Hudson River to the existing Northeast Corridor tracks in New Jersey. Tracks, signals and other railroad systems will be installed as part of a future construction package.

The project involves a wide variety of heavy civil design and construction work, including:

Building 4,170 feet of retaining walls and installing lightweight concrete fill to create the embankment next to the existing Northeast Corridor tracks, where the new train tracks will run.
Constructing 3,150 feet of viaduct that will carry the new tracks over wetlands in the Meadowlands.
Building bridges over Secaucus Road and existing Conrail and New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYSW) freight rail tracks.
Additional infrastructure, including access roads, drainage structures, equipment platforms and stairs.
Relocating utilities, protecting water and sewer lines and moving an auxiliary signal power substation.

The NJ Surface Alignment contractor will be working adjacent to active train tracks, which requires extra safety precautions and careful coordination with railroad operators.

This project also involves construction in sections of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Work in these areas must comply with environmental regulations to protect the regional wetland ecosystem.

Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV was selected following a competitive process and proposal review by an evaluation panel consisting of technical experts and representatives from GDC, the State of New York, NJ Transit and Amtrak. The contract price for this project is $711,669,000.

The contract approved today includes seven Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs) proposed by the contractor during the procurement process.

ATCs are design or construction approaches that incorporate innovative solutions from the private sector that differ from the project’s preliminary design while maintaining all technical, safety and performance requirements.

The GDC conducted a thorough technical review of the contractor’s proposed ATCs and concluded these changes will help reduce costs, minimize environmental impacts and improve long-term maintenance of the infrastructure the project will build.

The board also approved the Market Case Estimate (MCE) for the project and authorized GDC’s CEO to issue a Notice to Proceed (NTP) to Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV.