NEW YORK — Amtrak has awarded a construction contract for major rehabilitation of the East River Tunnel, the connection between Manhattan and Queens that sustained major damage from floodwaters during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
The East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project will demolish all existing tunnel system down to the liner before completely restoring the two tubes of the four-tube tunnel that were damaged in 2012. The project will see one tube closed at a time to minimize service impacts while providing maximum access for construction. A Skanska E-J ERT Joint Venture received the contract for the project.
The tunnel, which dates to 1910, is used by more than 450 Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit trains daily, including moves to and from Sunnyside Yard in Queens, where trains are stored, serviced or turned. It will also eventually see Metro-North trains, when the Penn Station Access project is completed [see “Groundbreaking marks start of work on Penn Station Access,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 10, 2022].
The project calls for spot repair and patching of the concrete tunnel liner; reconstruction of the bench walls; conversion from ballasted track to a direct-fixation track system with integrated drainage; new fire and smoke detection systems, and replacement and modernization of signal, traction power, standpipe, and drainage.
The estimated $1.6 billion project will primarily be funded by a $1.26 billion Federal Railroad Administration grant through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, with Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and NJ Transit paying for the remainder. Preliminary work has already begun; major construction will begin later this year and continue through 2027.
“These improvements will be felt in New York, New Jersey, and beyond while creating jobs and growing the economy,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in a press release. “We appreciate the partnerships and planning that are helping to make progress on the East River Tunnel possible, and we look forward to our work together.”
IMP what is more important is the date tunnel bore #1 will be closed to rail traffic?
IMP = ? can’t find the meaning of this acronym.
So how about some detail as to who was awarded the contract?
It’s in the last sentence of paragraph two.