New York’s Gateway Development Commission (GDC) Board of Commissioners has today awarded the contract for the Manhattan Tunnel Project to Frontier-Kemper-Tutor-Perini JV and authorized the notice to proceed with construction.
Construction of this portion of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP) is expected to begin in the coming months, with substantial completion anticipated in 2029.
The Manhattan Tunnel Project will build the section of the new Hudson Tunnel Project tubes from the Manhattan Bulkhead in the Hudson River to the cut-and-cover Hudson Yards Concrete Casing east of 12th Avenue.
The project will also remove obstructions that could slow or damage the TBMs boring the portion of the tunnel passing under the Bulkhead and into Manhattan and will protect and support existing features, including the Bulkhead and sewer lines.
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said, “Today’s contract award for the Manhattan Tunnel Project represents another major milestone for the Gateway Program. As I’ve said before – we are all systems go! The Hudson Tunnel Project and its approaches are vital to the economic health and resilience of New York.”
In total, the Manhattan Tunnel Project will require designing and building approximately 700 feet of twin 30-foot diameter tunnels. The portion to the east of 12th Avenue will be permanent. The portion between the Manhattan Bulkhead and 12th Avenue will be a temporary tunnel shell with the primary purpose of clearing the pathway for the future final tunnel to be installed by TBMs. The project also includes designing and building an access shaft at 12th Avenue that will ultimately be converted into a permanent ventilation facility for the new tunnel.
The Manhattan Tunnel project requires complex tunnelling activities, including navigating multiple major sewer lines and live utilities, the Manhattan Bulkhead, and any other obstructions that the team may encounter and need to remove.
Due to the presence of historic fill along Manhattan’s western shore, obstructions could range from archeological findings to concrete slabs and debris. The project will also clear pile foundations remaining from both the West Side Highway that collapsed in 1973 and existing sewer utilities.
To provide the flexibility needed to navigate these obstacles, the selected contractor has proposed excavating the tunnel using a protective shield.
These methods would enable the majority of construction to take place underground, improving safety and significantly reducing the impacts of construction on surface roads and sidewalks.Following a publicly advertised bidding process, proposals were reviewed by an Evaluation Panel consisting of technical experts and representatives from GDC, the State of New York, NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), and Amtrak. Frontier-Kemper-Tutor-Perini JV was selected through a competitive evaluation of technical and price proposals. The award the GDC Board approved today includes $1.18bn for the total contract price.
In addition to the items related to the Manhattan Tunnel Project contract, the Board of Commissioners approved the creation of a stipend program to support the New Jersey Surface Alignment (NJSA) Project procurement process. This program will provide a stipend for work product to teams that submit bids for the NJSA Project but do not win the contract. Given the complexity of the NJSA Project, this stipend program is necessary to enable teams to invest the resources needed to prepare an innovative, price-certain responsive bid.
GDC will retain rights to the intellectual property, ideas, techniques, concepts, and approaches contained in all proposals from teams that receive stipends, and any other relevant work product that they create as part of the procurement process.
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