One of North America’s most closely watched infrastructure projects has reached a major milestone. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced on 8 October 2026 that the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) of the Hudson Tunnel Project has started drilling into the Palisades Cliffs in New Jersey, with a second machine expected to follow in the coming weeks. According to the GDC, the work began on schedule.
The machines and the route
Each TBM carries a cutterhead of 28 feet 8 inches in diameter, followed by trailing gantries that extend roughly 500 feet and weigh more than 1,680 tons. As the cutterhead turns, broken rock is collected and carried to the back of the tunnel on a conveyor. An erector arm places precast concrete segments to line the tunnel, and hydraulic thrust jacks push the machine forward.
The machines are expected to advance about 30 feet per day. They will excavate roughly 5,100 feet, from the tunnel portal in North Bergen to the Hudson County Access Shaft on the Weehawken/Hoboken border, in about a year. After that, they will be replaced by machines designed for the mixed ground conditions beneath the Hudson River. The GDC noted that it has been nearly 120 years since the last train tunnel under the river was excavated.
What it means for drilling operations
Large tunnelling projects like this create steady demand across the whole drilling and excavation supply chain, from shafts and portals to ground support. When machines are expected to advance tens of feet every day, every hour of downtime directly delays the schedule. Planned maintenance, hydraulic system care and quick access to wear and spare parts become key to keeping production on track.
At Razor Spare, we supply high-quality alternative spare parts for rock drilling equipment used in tunnelling, mining and construction projects worldwide.
Source: NJBIZ – “Hudson Tunnel Project begins drilling into Palisades Cliffs”, 9 October 2026.
https://njbiz.com/hudson-tunnel-project-palisades-drilling/
This article is an original summary prepared by Razor Spare based on the source above.