en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Board of the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) approved a contract change order totaling $88 million on July 8, commissioning contractor Weeks Marine to add the removal of approximately 500 submerged wooden piles in the Hudson River bottom stabilization project. This change order aims to reduce the risk of future tunnel boring machines encountering obstacles when advancing beneath the riverbed, with related work expected to commence by the end of 2026.
The Hudson River Bottom Stabilization (HRGS) project is part of the Hudson Tunnel Project, which has a total investment of $16 billion and signed a full funding grant agreement two years ago. The GDC stated in a press release that substantial progress has been made since the agreement was signed, with the first construction package completed and six others in the implementation phase. This change order extends the original HRGS work zone approximately 265 feet eastward toward Manhattan and includes the task of processing wooden piles remaining in the riverbed after the demolition of Pier 68. Pier 68, built in the late 19th century as a freight terminal for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, left a large number of wooden support structures in the riverbed after the pier was damaged by fire and demolished in 1964.
The HRGS project involves bottom stabilization work within a temporary cofferdam to protect the work zone from river currents and enable year-round construction. The contractor periodically moves the cofferdam to enclose new sections, with these movements carefully scheduled to meet environmental requirements. According to information released by the GDC, the 1C construction package of the Hudson Tunnel Project was awarded in April this year. This package will use two mixed-use tunnel boring machines to construct new tunnel tube extensions under the Hudson River under complex conditions, requiring handling of various strata including rock, soft soil, and fill. The HRGS project prepares a dedicated 1,200-foot-long, 100-foot-wide pathway for the boring machines by removing obstacles and injecting lightweight concrete into the riverbed. The project, which began in the middle of the Hudson River in 2024, is advancing eastward. Weeks Marine conducted a small-scale pile removal pilot project in 2025, and the experience gained provided the basis for this change order.
GDC CEO Tom Prendergast stated that as the project progresses, it is necessary to anticipate problems and take proactive action, and this forward-thinking mindset has been the foundation of progress over the past two years. GDC New York Commissioner and Co-Chair Alicia Glen, New Jersey Commissioner and Co-Chair Balpreet Grewal-Virk, and Amtrak Commissioner and Vice Chair Tony Coscia said in a joint statement that the project's progress would not be possible without the support of partners, especially thanking Governor Hochul and Governor Sherrill for securing funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project, and that all parties will continue to work together to advance project implementation.
