The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has awarded a $711.6 million contract to the Skanska-Creamer-Sanzari NJSA Joint Venture for the New Jersey Surface Alignment project, a critical component of the Hudson Tunnel Project.
The project will construct infrastructure for future rail tracks between Secaucus and North Bergen. The new alignment will connect the future Hudson River Tunnel to the Northeast Corridor and support expanded rail capacity between New Jersey and New York.
Work will cover a 1.5-mile section extending from County Road in Secaucus to Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen. The contract includes retaining walls, embankments, bridges over Secaucus Road, a viaduct across Meadowlands wetlands, and bridge structures over freight rail lines operated by New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway and Conrail.
The project addresses a longstanding bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor, where four tracks narrow to two before entering the existing Hudson River tunnels. The current configuration dates back to 1910 and serves approximately 450 trains each day.
The new infrastructure will support two additional tracks and help accommodate up to 48 trains per hour once the new Hudson River Tunnel enters service and rehabilitation of the existing tunnel is complete. Future contracts will install tracks, signals, and rail systems.
Construction is expected to begin in the coming months and conclude in 2030. Preliminary site preparation has already cleared approximately 300,000 square feet of trees and vegetation along the alignment route.
The New Jersey Surface Alignment represents the seventh major construction package awarded under the Gateway Program, which aims to expand passenger rail capacity and improve reliability along the nation’s busiest rail corridor.