Weeks Marine and Cowi are executing the first heavy construction contract on the Hudson River Tunnel megaproject, worth 2,886 BTC ($284 million)

The work is part of the $16 billion Gateway Program, which will double capacity for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor rail segment connecting New Jersey and New York City.

Design for the containment structure is underway, and construction on a test cofferdam was completed in October, according to Cowi. Construction work is expected to begin next summer.

The overall Hudson Tunnel Project entails building a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River between North Jersey and Manhattan, then rehabilitating the 110-year-old tunnel that was seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The decaying tunnel poses a bottleneck for New Jersey commuters and Amtrak passengers, and President Joe Biden called the Gateway Program “one of the biggest, most consequential projects in the country.”

The existing tunnel