Following its Diamond Award, the highest level of recognition at the ACEC New York Engineering Excellence Awards, the Grand Central Terminal (GCT) Pedestrian Tunnel has now been honored with the Empire Award, ACEC New York’s top statewide distinction.

Commissioned by the MTA to address increasing congestion associated with Grand Central Madison and the 7 Line, the pedestrian tunnel beneath East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue provides a direct and intuitive connection between the 7 Line and Grand Central’s mezzanine and Lexington Line platforms. Delivered under live transit operations and highly constrained urban conditions, the project set a new benchmark for shallow-cover tunneling in New York City.

Gall Zeidler Consultants contribution included developing preliminary designs, participating in contracting strategy selection, and reviewing design submissions and specifications from the design-builder. During construction, GZ provided Construction Management support to the MTA, with an assigned Resident Engineer overseeing the excavation, ground support, waterproofing membrane installation, shotcrete liner installation, and architectural finishes within the new passageway.

We congratulate the MTA, Parsons, Skanska USA, STV, and Naik Consulting on this well-deserved recognition. Project teams will be honored at ACEC New York’s Engineering Excellence Awards gala on April 18 in New York City.

To learn more about GZ’s project involvement visit this page.

To learn who are the 2026 Engineering Excellence Award Winners please visit this page.

Completed new passageway (Image Courtesy MTA)

Top Heading Excavation of the New Passageway Tunnel.