As New York and New Jersey officials continue to work to make the trans-Hudson tunnels a reality, a major piece of the puzzle has quietly been coming together on the far West Side of Manhattan. Two boxes that will hold part of the tunnels have been built between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues between West 32nd and 33rd Streets, and the New York Times went below ground for a look at the new shells. Those boxes, built by Amtrak using Hurricane Sandy relief money, preserve the railroad's right of way there.

Eventually, these shells will hold actual rail tunnels for the Gateway Project, as its called. The project will create new tubes under the river for both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains. Additionally, NJ Transit's board voted Wednesday to go ahead with an environmental impact study that would be necessary for the project, according to The Record.

In recent months, officials have been trying to speed up the project. This month, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said officials are "taking important initial steps to accelerate long-stalled plans." In September, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Chris Christie asked the federal government to split the cost of the $20 billion project. The project could be complete by 2028.

The existing tunnels, officially called the North River Tunnels, are 105 years old and in dire need of repair, both from age and as a result of flooding during Sandy. The repairs will require complete shutdown of at least one tube at a time.

· Amtrak's Gateway to the Hudson [NYT]

· NJ Transit moves ahead on Hudson tunnel environmental work [The Record]

· Officials Want to Accelerate New Hudson River Tunnel Plans [Curbed]

· Trans-Hudson Tunnel Plans Inch Forward With Funding Talks [Curbed]

· All Gateway Project coverage [Curbed]