Amtrak awards contract for box tunnel project under Hudson Yards site

Amtrak has awarded a $133 million contract to Tutor Perini Corp. to construct an underground concrete casing, or box tunnel, beneath the Eastern Rail Yard of the Hudson Yards site in New York City.

The project is being funded through a Federal Transit Administration Hurricane Sandy relief allocation, Tutor Perini officials said in a press release.

The project, an important element in Amtrak's Gateway program, is designed to preserve an underground right-of-way for possible future expansion of rail service via two new tunnels under the Hudson River between New Jersey and Penn Station in New York City, they said. The box tunnel will measure about 800 feet long, 50 feet wide and 35 feet tall, and will extend underground from 10th Avenue to 11th Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets.

Construction is expected to begin in August, with substantial completion expected in late 2014.