The nation’s biggest infrastructure project construction site typically teems with the rumble of heavy machinery as crews move in coordinated rhythm. All’s quiet, though, at 1801 Tonnelle Ave. in North Bergen.
“That silence now defines this site,” Jim Starace, program delivery chief for the Gateway Development Commission, told NJ Spotlight News. “There’s always machinery around — there’s drilling, there’s noise and we have blasting here to remove some of the rock — and it is a spooky silence.”
The site is central to Gateway, the $16 billion project to rehabilitate and construct passenger rail tunnels linking New Jersey and Manhattan. Construction halted at four locations on both sides of the Hudson River after the President Donald Trump’s administration froze funding.
The Gateway Development Commission on Feb. 3 sued the Trump administration, citing breach of contract, while New Jersey and New York filed their own legal challenge a day later, alleging political retribution.
“Litigation was the last resort for us, and it was not a decision we took lightly,” commission spokeswoman Molly Beckhardt told NJ Spotlight News. “The commitment was to this project, the workers and riders who have waited so long for reliable transportation.”
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York last week ordered the release of funds, which were approved by Congress. The money remains frozen, though, as Trump appeals.
Credit: (NJ Spotlight News)Custom machines
At the North Bergen site, plans called for digging to begin in the spring.
“We have two tunnel boring machines that were custom built just for these conditions,” Beckhardt said.
Roughly 1,000 workers have been laid off. Idled, too, are crucial components, including a massive cutter head, part of a 500-foot-long system designed to carve through solid rock beneath the Palisades and Hudson River.
Restarting is no simple matter, Starace says.
“It takes time. This is a very sequenced operation to meet an aggressive overall schedule to get this done by 2035,” he said. “Each part is well-connected to the other one. So the momentum for awarding contracts and building is a very coordinated effort. Stopping the construction is very impactful, and coordination to get started again won’t be easy.”
Extended delays could result in more losses.
“The longer this goes on, we are going to lose talent and specialized workers we need for this project,” Beckhardt said. “That kind of talent is going to go elsewhere and find other opportunities.”
