James Morrison,
Senior Technical Advisor
Gateway Development Commission

James A Morrison is currently Senior Technical Advisor for the Gateway Development Commission overseeing all technical aspects of the Hudson Tunnel Project, which will replace the 113 year old rail connection between New York and New Jersey, which also links the Northeast Corridor between Washington D.C. and Boston, with two new tubes that cover four and a half miles each, and fully rehabilitate the existing tunnel.

Jim brings over 40 years of engineering and construction experience incorporating a broad range of projects including transit, tunnels, bridges, dams, hydroelectric, marine construction highways, deep excavations, transportation, water/sewer systems, and environmental management. As a leader, Jim has managed all aspects of project execution and delivery, with strong expertise in design-build projects. Jim has led expert technical review teams, design teams, quality review teams, forensic evaluation teams, expert panel review teams responsible for both quality assurance and forensic troubleshooting, and actively participates on Dispute Review Boards.

Jim most recently served as Vice President and Engineering Chief for STV Inc., assisting in the development and expansion of STV’s geotechnical and tunneling practice throughout North America.

As CEO and Managing Director of ILF-USA, Jim was responsible for all aspects of ILF business with offices in Reston VA, Traverse City MI, Denver CO, and Seattle WA. He also served the ILF Corporation as technical practice lead for tunnels and hydropower projects thorough North America. Jim negotiated and led the successful acquisition of ILF-USA assets by COWI in 2018 and served COWI as a vice president and technical lead.

As Engineering Services Manager for Kiewit, Jim worked extensively with Kiewit Senior Management on the development and execution of a broad range of projects and was responsible for creating a team of 75 engineers providing engineering support for construction operations, and development and oversight of consultant engineering teams for alternate delivery projects. He also served as Corporate Geotechnical Manager, advising senior management on risk related matters, disputes resolution team coordination, and design-build team development. Jim was also responsible for developing corporate policy for the design and execution of temporary structures used in construction, and training future leaders though Kiewit University on design policy, temporary structures, geotechnical risk management, and other elements.

Jim has served as a member of dispute resolution boards on several major tunnel construction projects across North America and as an expert witness on a variety of projects including pipelines, marine work, government facilities construction, and transportation earthwork projects

Jim has written numerous technical papers and has presented keynote addresses to technical conferences around the world. Current publications include Contributing author for the 3rd edition of ASCE Geotechnical Baselines for Construction released in 2023. He has served as President for Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) and both the Cleveland, Ohio Section and Northwest Michigan Branch of ASCE.