Gateway Development Commission awards $711M New Jersey Surface Alignment contract for Hudson Tunnel Project

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has officially awarded a massive $711.6 million construction contract to Skanska Creamer Sanzari NJSA JV. The agreement initiates Construction Package 3: The New Jersey Surface Alignment, a vital link that will physically connect the future Hudson River transit tunnels to the existing Northeast Corridor line.

The contract clearance means seven of the ten total construction packages that comprise the historic Hudson Tunnel Project are now either actively underway or fully completed. Heavy civil construction on this new segment is scheduled to begin later this year.

The New Jersey Surface Alignment Project requires building roughly 1.5 miles (7,540 feet) of multi-track rail infrastructure through a dense transit corridor. The project footprint stretches from County Road in Secaucus to the new tunnel portal at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen.

Because the path cuts directly through active rail lines and environmentally sensitive wetlands, the joint venture will tackle a highly varied heavy civil design and construction portfolio:

• Embankment & Retaining Walls: Erecting 4,170 linear feet of structural retaining walls utilizing specialized lightweight concrete fill to build a stable rail embankment immediately adjacent to active Northeast Corridor traffic.
• Meadowlands Viaduct: Constructing a 3,150-foot elevated viaduct structure to carry the future tracks safely across protected New Jersey Meadowlands ecosystems.
• Bridge Infrastructure: Building massive span bridges over Secaucus Road and active commercial freight lines operated by Conrail and the New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYSW) railroad.
• Utility & Substation Relocation: Moving a vital auxiliary signal power substation, relocating local municipal utilities, and reinforcing existing high-pressure water and sewer mains.

The $711,669,000 contract incorporates seven Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs) developed by the Skanska-led team during the competitive procurement process. These proprietary design shifts depart from the commission’s preliminary designs while upholding all strict federal safety, structural, and performance metrics.

Following a rigorous technical audit by experts from GDC, NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak, and the State of New York, officials concluded that the modifications will materially lower capital costs, minimize environmental disturbances in the Meadowlands, and simplify long-term structural maintenance.

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

GDC CEO Tom Prendergast echoed the sentiment, noting that the project is “uniquely complex” due to the proximity of live tracks, demanding meticulous safety framing and operator coordination.

Alongside the major infrastructure award, the GDC Board of Commissioners finalized two major executive appointments to anchor the agency’s internal legal and compliance operations:

As General Counsel, Bartlett will resign from his Passaic County elected seat to directly oversee all procurement, commercial negotiations, and contract litigation for the multi-billion-dollar interstate tunnel project.