Gateway tunnel project begins final preparations for Hudson River drilling
A 1,680-ton tunnel-boring machine has been activated in New Jersey ahead of work on a new rail connection between Manhattan and New Jersey. Officials say the $16 billion Gateway project is vital because the existing tunnel carries about 200,000 passengers daily, although completion is expected to take roughly a decade.
Work on a major rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River moved closer to construction on Monday, when officials activated a giant boring machine for the Gateway project linking New Jersey with Manhattan. The 1,680-ton machine was unveiled at a ceremony in North Bergen, New Jersey. Officials said it was still undergoing final tests but was expected to begin cutting through the Palisades Cliffs in the coming days.
The machine, nearly the length of two football fields, was custom-built in Germany and transported to the United States in sections. It has been reassembled at the North Bergen site and is equipped with cutters designed to work through dense rock. Two machines are expected to excavate an approximately one-mile section through the cliffs at a rate of about 30 feet a day.
Other machines will then work on the section beneath the Hudson River. The tunnel is part of a $16 billion project expected to take about 10 years to complete. New York and New Jersey officials described the scheme as important to commuters and the wider US economy because the existing passage is 116 years old and serves around 200,000 passengers each day.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said the rail route was central to a region that generates 20 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product. US Senator Chuck Schumer said disruption to the existing connection could have consequences beyond the two states. The project has faced political and financial difficulties.
President Donald Trump’s administration froze federal support last year, causing a temporary suspension of construction. A federal judge later ordered payments restored while litigation continued. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said political and other obstacles would not prevent construction.
The US Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, according to the report.
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