COWI wins Hudson River engineering contract in New York

The ground stabilisation work on the Hudson River aims to strengthen the seabed on the east side of the river, enabling the future construction of a new 3.8 km twin-tube rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey (Photo: AdobeStock)

COWI will serve as the engineer of record for this project, which is being led by the marine construction and dredging company, Weeks Marine. The HRGS project is significant as it marks the first heavy construction contract awarded by the Gateway Development Commission for the Hudson Tunnel Project.

The ground stabilisation work on the Hudson River aims to strengthen the seabed on the east side of the river, enabling the future construction of a new 3.8 km twin-tube rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey.

In addition to its role as the engineer of record, COWI will act as the design manager and is tasked with developing a containment structure. 

The containment structure will be designed to operate in water depths of 40 to 50 feet, ensuring it can withstand strong currents and storm conditions while accommodating up to 5 feet of tidal movement each day. The project will cover a 1,200-foot section of the seabed, and COWI will collaborate closely with the geotechnical engineering firm Keller Group to execute the deep soil mixing works. The work will be carried out in two phases, completing a 600-foot section at a time to minimise disruption to vessel traffic.

The Gateway Program represents a significant investment in rail infrastructure, aimed at improving reliability and resilience between Newark, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in New York City. This initiative will also create new capacity in a critical section of the Northeast Corridor, which is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the US.

John Chapman, vice president at COWI, said, “We’re thrilled to be contributing our expertise to such a vital infrastructure initiative. After more than a decade of following plans for The Gateway Program closely, we are delighted to be involved in the first heavy construction contract awarded on the project. We understand the critical importance of this development and look forward to collaborating with Weeks Marine and Keller Group to ensure its success.”

The complete HRGS project is expected to be finished by January 2027.