Any demolition will not occur until the new bridge is fully complete and all trains are on it. Demolition of the old bridge is part of the bridge project.
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The Associated Press put out a good piece showing the progress of the tunnels.
They are now welding the cutter heads together. There is still more prepatory work to be done but progress is occuring.
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New photos released of work being done on the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Section 3. Interesting way of building the roof! Wouldn’t have imagined this is how they would do it.
“The process starts with filling a section of the tunnel with sand. Then a layer of concrete ten feet thick is poured on top. Once the concrete hardens, the sand is removed, leaving a fully enclosed tunnel box for trains to pass through.”
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Yeah that’s pretty wild.
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Sounds like a construction method from 2000+ years ago.
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I’m assuming this bonkers method has everything to do with the massive thickness, and thus massive weight, of the ceiling pour where any other kind of formwork would be unable to handle it.
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If you like the sand approach, you’re going to be over the moon for this one:
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I seem to recall an old Joan Collins movie where she winds up being trapped in a pyramid because escaping sand seals the tomb.
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An epic update from GDC on LinkedIn: The tunnel segments that the TBMs will install as they dig are being manufactured. A factory in Connecticut is building them, and when they are complete, they will be shipped down to NY and then New Jersey for eventual installation when tunneling starts.
On Monday, June 1, there will also be a board meeting, which may include further project updates.
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At the Board Meeting, they revealed the contract for the New Jersey Surface Alignment portion of work has been awarded. This contract covers design and construction of the approach that ties the tunnels into the existing Northeast Corridor.
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I rode the train today and got to see some Gateway stuff firsthand. I was able to see the Tonnelle Ave/Palisades Tunnel site, and the still-to-be-determined mystery track pit is now getting an enclosure. It has to be a maintenance shed. Plenty of TBM components on site, too.
At HYCC3, lots of work preparing for the next major pour is underway, and rebar is being installed. A bunch of roof molds is on hand, and the site is so interesting that a lot of people were looking and Google searching what they were seeing.
Unfortunately, part of the High Line by the Manhattan shaft is closed, so I couldn’t get closer pics.
No pics, but coming home, I finally got a chance to ride over the new Portal Bridge. If my train didn’t have flat spots on the wheels, it’d be extremely smooth, but the speed increase is noticeable, and when the other track opens, it will bring positive changes.
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amazing update @ALC11 thanks!
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Thanks. Which train did you take ? Is the ride smoother now ?
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NJ Transit. I couldn’t comment on the smoothness since the car I was in had flat spots on the wheels so the whole car was shaking at speed. I am sure it is very smooth but the big thing is that the speeds are much higher on the new bridge.
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Time for another update: It looks like TBM components are being lowered into the pit by the Tonnelle Ave bridge.
The shed I saw from the train:
In addition, per the Board Meeting announcements, construction on the NEC viaduct that connects to these tunnels is expected to start later this year.
The Hudson portion of the tunnel project’s contract was also awarded a few days ago. This is the most important part, especially since this is the underwater portion that connects NY to NJ, and is the longest portion of the tunnel. Aside from tunneling, work includes stabilizing HBLR tracks and cross-passages between the two tubes.
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$711.7 million for 1.5 miles of track is crazy. When did they make the decision to make the tracks out of silver?
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The first TBM is now being assembled. This is a huge step towards tunneling and a major milestone for the Gateway project.
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More trouble at the new bridge?
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