Miller’s Launch tug Michael Miller stemmed off Hoboken on Tuesday with a barge loaded with silos of concrete for the Gateway Tunnel riverbed stabilization project a bit further north. Two days later, attorneys for the states of New York and New Jersey were back in federal court facing off against the federal government and arguing against efforts to end funding for the project. Another large chunk of funding was released last week under a temporary restraining order issued by the court, but Thursday’s hearing sought a permanent restoration of promised funding and the judge is expected to issue her ruling on the matter in the coming days.

The concrete in the silos will be mixed with river water and the mud on the river bottom to reinforce the riverbed so that tunnel boring machines can move through it. Initial sections of the project near the center of the river have been completed and work has shifted closer to the Manhattan shoreline. In the background of the photo the buildings of Stevens Institute of Technology are visible atop Castle Point in Hoboken.