The Gateway Development Commission announced construction on the Hudson Tunnel Project would resume this week after a delay in federal funding.
The commission said funding for the work would come from an estimated $235 million the commission received from the federal government on Feb. 18. The funding means the restoration of nearly 1,000 jobs, the commission said.
“Hundreds of workers will return to GDC’s construction sites in New York and New Jersey. This is great news for these workers, the hundreds of thousands of riders who take the train to New York City every day, and the entire region, but we cannot take our eyes off the ball. We need every federal dollar accounted for in our grant and loan agreements to build this tunnel,” Alicia Glen, New York GDC Commissioner and Co-Chair, said.
Construction slated to resume as part of the funding includes excavation of the tunnel boring machine launch box at the portal to the new tunnel, preparations to assemble the components of the first boring machine, coordination of the second boring machine’s delivery, slurry wall installation for the 12th Avenue Access Shaft, construction of a marine platform for work associated with the Manhattan Tunnel, ground stabilization in the Hudson River and site clearing work to prepare for the New Jersey Surface Alignment Project.
While the work on the commission’s active construction projects resumes, another two major procurements for work on the Hudson River Tunnel and new Jersey Surface Alignment contracts continue to stall while the commission works to regain access to the $15 billion in federal grants and loans paused by the Trump administration in October. Those contracts were scheduled to be awarded in late 2025/early 2026.
“In recent weeks, we have seen a massive surge of support for the Hudson Tunnel Project. We are incredibly thankful for Governor Sherrill, New Jersey’s congressional delegation, and the many other leaders who have called on the Administration to stop delaying the most urgent infrastructure project in the country,” Balpreet Grewal-Virk, New Jersey GDC commissioner and co-chair, said. “We’re seeing the results of this effort now, as hundreds of workers go back to our construction sites. I look forward to celebrating the launch of our tunnel boring machines through the Palisades once GDC has assurance it will receive the steady flow of funding needed for this megaproject.”