“2023 was a vitally important year for the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP),” Gateway Development Commission CEO Kris Kolluri wrote on Dec. 27 in his end-of-year note to GDC commissioners, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Amtrak leaders. “This year, together with all of you and our partners, the Gateway Development Commission moved HTP from aspirational to unstoppable.”

Kolluri noted that his organization, tasked with overseeing and managing the nation’s most critical infrastructure project, entered 2023 with six goals, including:

• Begin construction in both New York and New Jersey;
• Finalize the governance and framework and partner agreements for HTP’s delivery;
• Apply for and receive historic funding commitments from the federal government for the project;
• Become an eligible grant recipient;
• Develop an improved contracting and procurement strategy to attract a competitive and world-class pool of firms to build HTP;
• Continue to build GDC’s organizational, financial, legal, and technical capacity to deliver HTP.

“We have met each of these goals,” said Kolluri – nodding to the many partners and stakeholders – including at different levels of government – who have supported the project. “Mega projects like HTP do not happen by luck, but by design.”

Some 2023 highlights and aforementioned goals that Kolluri called attention to include:

• Launched work on the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 in New York;
• Broke ground on the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge and Utility Relocation Project in New Jersey;
• Historic funding commitments for HTP that represents the largest federal investment ever in a mass transit project – altogether, HTP now has almost $12 billion in federal commitments and a revised 70-30 funding split between federal and local partners;
• A GDC staff that has grown to more than 40 team members, who collectively hold decades of high-level experience in the transportation sector;
• FTA’s notice of approve for Entry into Engineering stating that GDC “has the technical capacity and capability to effectively manage the engineering phase”;
• Five out of nine HTP contracts are currently under construction or in procurement, and three more are anticipated to be awarded in 2024.

Kolluri also cited efforts GDC has made working with the private sector through a series of events that were designed to provide project updates across the industry, solicit feedback, and create networking opportunities – while engaging Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and complying with federal regulations.

“GDC is committed to making HTP a successful test case for how to successfully integrate ambitious DBE goals into the nation’s most urgent infrastructure megaproject,” Kolluri continued.

In describing it as a “once-in-a-century project,” Kolluri expressed his gratitude for being entrusted with the privilege of overseeing it.

“In 2024, we will turn our attention to finalizing the Full Funding Grant Agreement, closing the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans, and starting major construction so the Hudson Tunnel Project reaches a point of no return,” said Kolluri.

He emphasized that the project stakeholders are entering the new year on strong footing – with those critical early works components in progress, construction management agreements in place, and the organizational capacity to tackle the next challenges.

“We are on track to reach Full Funding Grant Agreement with FTA in 2024, unlocking the $6.88 billion grant commitment that brings our project’s total federal share to almost $12 billion, and locking in the full funding needed to bring the Hudson Tunnel Project to reality for millions of riders,” Kolluri wrote. “A new American renaissance is underway in infrastructure, with HTP at the forefront.”