In total, the project completed 75 geotechnical investigations. These included 64 borings in New Jersey and New York over several years, 37 of which were during the recently completed Phase 2 Supplemental Geotechnical Boring Programme planned based on input from the private sector. The samples obtained from the borings will inform the design and engineering planning for full construction of the project.
The borings were completed in Secaucus, New Jersey, along the future above-ground alignment, in Union City, New Jersey, along the future Palisades Tunnel alignment, at the Hoboken Project Site, along the future Hudson River Tunnel alignment under the Hudson River, and in Manhattan, New York, at the Hudson River Park and at the 12th Avenue Project Site. Samples were taken at depths ranging from 48 to 505ft.
The project also completed five cone penetration tests, four seismic cone penetration tests, a marine geophysical survey in the Hudson River, and a surface-based geophysical survey along the Hudson Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) tracks in New Jersey.
In a joint statement, Gateway Development Commission co-chairs Steven M. Cohen of New York and Balpreet Grewal-Virk of New Jersey, along with vice-chair Tony Coscia of Amtrak, said: "Finishing geotechnical investigations to reduce risk and provide certainty on where and how to dig the first rail tunnel under the Hudson River in a century is a major accomplishment. This work is another example of our partners working together to advance the tunnel project as far as we possibly can in preparation for full funding and construction. From building two sections of the tunnel casing in Manhattan, to advancing the design of the project to 30 per cent, to achieving all the project's regulatory approvals to completing this geotechnical work, we and our partners have shown over and over that no obstacle will stand in the way of finally delivering 21st Century rail transportation between New York and New Jersey."
The Gateway Program conducted an extensive request for information process during 2017-2019, inviting the private sector to hear updates from leadership and staff and provide feedback and ideas on how the tunnel project might progress. As part of that process, in 2019, the Gateway Program invited the private sector to comment on its plan for the Hudson Tunnel Project's Phase 2 Supplemental Geotechnical Boring Programme. The Gateway Partners refined the Phase 2 Boring Programme by incorporating private sector feedback on additional geotechnical boring locations, geotechnical investigations, and laboratory testing.
A pre-procurement virtual data room was established in 2019 for qualified firms to access and review existing data. The virtual data room provides important technical information about the subsurface geotechnical conditions that the Hudson Tunnel Project will encounter in New Jersey, under the Palisades, under the Hudson River, and in Manhattan. The room will continue to be updated as data becomes available.
The 37 borings, four seismic cone penetration tests, and two geophysical surveys completed during the Phase 2 Supplemental Geotechnical Boring Programme supplement the 27 borings and five cone penetration tests conducted during the Hudson Tunnel Project's previous geotechnical investigation phases, as well as numerous geotechnical investigations conducted as part of the access to the region's core project and historical records from the construction of the North River Tunnel, PATH Tunnels, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, NJ TRANSIT's Bergen Tunnel, and the NJ TRANSIT Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Weehawken Tunnel.
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