Meeting Notice

Featuring Thomas Martin
with Gall Zeidler Consultants

Thomas Martin graduated from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering with a focus in Structural Engineering and has over 15 years of experience in civil and geotechnical engineering. He has played key roles in tunneling projects, providing design, inspection, and consulting services, with a focus on tunnel waterproofing and rehabilitation. Thomas has led national and international projects, including tunnel inspections for BART and WMATA, and managed remediation efforts at Newport, Hoboken, and Chinatown Stations. His work has included inspections across the U.S. and internationally, and he has extensive knowledge of remediation methods like chemical grout injections and waterproofing. As Area Manager Virginia, he leverages this expertise to ensure project success for his clients.

Geologic Conditions, Challenges, and Ground Improvement/Tunneling Methods

The Gateway Program will deliver critical rail infrastructure projects between Newark, New Jersey and Penn Station in New York City, along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The NEC is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the U.S., with more than 2,000 trains per day carrying approximately 800,000 daily passenger trips across eight states and Washington D.C. The largest and most complex project included in the Gateway Program is the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP).

The HTP, beginning in 2024, includes the construction of a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River, and parts of Manhattan and New Jersey, connecting the existing NEC tracks to the existing rail complex at Penn. The two new tunnels will consist of a mixture of twin hard rock TBM tunnels, twin shallow soft ground TBM tunnels, and shallow SEM tunnels excavated with a digger shield. The Hudson River and Manhattan Tunnels provide challenging design issues as a result of the shallow cover and poor ground conditions. This presentation will summarize the project, before detailing the conditions and challenges of each of the tunnel drives, as well as describing the current status of the project.