The award advances construction beyond the tunnel itself and into the infrastructure needed to tie the new crossing into the Northeast Corridor’s existing rail network.

With this latest award, seven of the 10 construction packages comprising the Hudson Tunnel Project are now underway or complete, according to Gateway officials. Construction of the surface alignment is expected to begin later this year. Gateway spokesperson Jake McNichol said the project will be complete by 2030 . 

Four teams were shortlisted for the procurement, but only Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV and Walsh Ferreira JV submitted proposals.

George Harms Construction Co./Hardesty & Hanover and New Jersey Alignment Contractors, a team led by Halmar International, declined to bid, Gateway officials said.

The surface alignment project will build approximately 1.5 miles of new rail infrastructure, extending from County Road in Secaucus, N.J., to the tunnel portal at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, N.J.

The work includes 4,170 ft of retaining walls and embankments, 3,150 ft of viaduct structure across Meadowlands wetlands, and bridges spanning Secaucus Road and active Conrail and New York Susquehanna & Western freight rail lines. The package also includes utility relocations, drainage improvements and other supporting infrastructure. Future contracts will install track, signals and other railroad systems.

Officials said much of the alignment will either run on embankment adjacent to the existing Northeast Corridor or on elevated structure across Meadowlands wetlands. Construction will occur alongside active passenger and freight rail operations, requiring extensive coordination, staging and safety controls while maintaining compliance with environmental protection requirements.

The package is the last major contract award related to the New Jersey tunnel's approach following Gateway's selection of the joint venture of Traylor Bros., Walsh Construction and Skanska USA for the $1.29-billion Hudson River Tunnel section in April.

Gateway CEO Tom Prendergast said in a statement that the project is “firing on all cylinders at our construction sites in New York and New Jersey” and will require "extensive coordination and careful planning" because of the variety of work involved and its location.

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The contract incorporates seven contractor-proposed alternative technical concepts approved during procurement.

The changes include use of higher-strength reinforcing steel, lightweight cellular concrete fill at retaining walls, alternative testing methods for drilled shafts and piles, tie-mounted prisms for track monitoring and modifications to portions of the viaduct and bridge access design.

Gateway said the concepts are expected to reduce costs, lessen environmental impacts and improve long-term maintainability.

The Hudson Tunnel Project is the centerpiece of the broader Gateway Program, which aims to expand capacity and improve reliability along the busiest section of the Northeast Corridor, carrying roughly 800,000 passenger trips daily.

Once completed, the new tunnel will supplement the existing North River Tunnel, allowing the century-old crossing, which sustained damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, to undergo full rehabilitation while maintaining rail service between New Jersey and Manhattan. The overall project is targeting completion in 2035.