The Tonnelle Avenue Bridge & Utility Relocation Project is a critical early works component of the Hudson Tunnel Project that will reduce construction costs, traffic, and environmental impacts.

Tonnelle Avenue is a highway in North Bergen, New Jersey that carries U.S. Routes 1 and 9 through Hudson County. The Tonnelle Avenue Bridge & Utility Relocation Project consists of utility relocation and the construction of a roadway bridge to carry Tonnelle Avenue over a new railroad right-of-way (ROW) for the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP).

This will provide access to the entry point for tunnel boring machines that will dig the New Jersey portion of the new Hudson River Tunnel and connect the two portions of the Tonnelle Avenue Staging Site, the primary staging site for the HTP.

The Tonnelle Avenue Project will generate significant public benefits for the region during the construction of the new Hudson River Tunnel, including:

  • Eliminating travel time delays and other negative impacts to local and visiting travelers that would result from construction vehicle traffic on Tonnelle Avenue.
  • Creating jobs and strengthening the regional economy, with particular benefit to the historically disadvantaged communities where the project is located.
  • Improving project sustainability and mitigating environmental harm from congestion of stopped or slowed vehicles on Tonnelle Avenue.

Quick Facts

Project Purpose

  • Create a new roadway bridge carrying Tonnelle Avenue over the future tunnel’s ROW
  • Provide tunnel boring machine access to the entry point for digging the new Hudson River Tunnel
  • Connect the two portions of the primary staging site for the HTP

Notable Elements

  • First HTP construction project in New Jersey
  • Reduces impacts of construction on traffic and the local environment

Estimated Construction Completion

2025

Tonnelle Avenue Public Information Center

  • Location: Tonnelle Avenue & 49th Street in North Bergen next to NJ Transit’s Light Rail Station
  • Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 11AM – 7PM

Contact Information

Current Activities & Next Steps

Ground broke on the Tonnelle Avenue Project in November 2023, marking the start of construction on the HTP in New Jersey. The project is expected to conclude in the fall of 2025.

The Tonnelle Avenue project is funded by a $25 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) RAISE Program.

You can see the progress we are making in real time via the EarthCam below! Click and drag the image to pan the camera. New photos are uploaded from the work site every day, and you can use the buttons below the image to peruse an archive of past photos.