New Jersey Politicos Testify to Congress on Importance of Gateway Program

NEW YORK CITY—A host of New Jersey state and federal representatives and transportation officials testified at a field roundtable of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Friday in support of the multi-billion-dollar Gateway Program.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a two-day Northeast infrastructure tour and roundtable that concluded on Friday at the headquarters of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at 4 World Trade Center.

Supporters for the project were heartened by positive comments from committee chairman U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) who said that funding could be earmarked in the appropriation’s bill for the coming year, along with a new federal transportation funding bill that expires in 2020.

“Inaction on critically important infrastructure projects such as Gateway has serious consequences and the cost of delay is extraordinarily high for our nation. That’s why it was so important to see the project first-hand and hold this field roundtable,” said House T&I Chair DeFazio, who later added, “Unfortunately for projects like Gateway, federal investment in infrastructure has significantly decreased in recent years. It’s time for the federal government to step up and do its job. Every day that we delay beginning construction on the Gateway Program $1 million is added to the estimated construction cost due to inflation alone.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was one of a host of Garden State lawmakers who testified to the House T&I Committee about the urgent need for the Gateway Program and the dire economic consequences that would result from the failure of the existing rail tunnels under the Hudson River. The Gateway program of projects includes replacing the century-old Portal Bridge and the construction of a new tunnel under the Hudson River. Gateway is the replacement for the ARC Tunnel Project, which was canceled in 2010 by then New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

“My administration is unwaveringly committed to ensuring the safe passage of the thousands of commuters crossing the Hudson daily, and any failure to complete the Gateway Program critically undermines this responsibility,” said Gov. Murphy. “New Jersey has, and will continue to be, invested as a full partner to build Gateway, and I continue to call on the Trump Administration to join with us in this project of regional and national significance.”

Jerry Zaro, NJ trustee and chairman of the Gateway Program Development Corp., said, “Today’s roundtable is yet another example of why Gateway is a project of national significance, and needs a federal partnership to ensure this vital link to 20% of the nation’s economy thrives and serves the region and nation for generations to come.”

The Portal North Bridge and Hudson River tunnel projects have bipartisan support in Congress and from the New Jersey and New York State delegations, but have been delayed in the financial and environmental review process with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. Many observers have stated that the vital infrastructure project has become a political football between Democrats in New Jersey and New York and the Republican Trump Administration. The Murphy Administration has pledged $600 million to support the Portal North Bridge project.

“The Hudson Tunnels are vital to the region and nation’s economy, and so is the Portal Bridge,” said Kevin Corbett, executive director of NJ TRANSIT. “Portal is ready to go with the early action construction work completed on time and on budget earlier this year, and New Jersey’s funding commitment to the new bridge is 100% solid. All that is needed is for the federal government to provide its share of funding, so we can keep this project moving and improve service reliability and predictability for our customers.”

Currently, only two rail tunnels under the Hudson River connect New York’s Penn Station to New Jersey’s Penn Station. The existing tubes used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit are more than 100 years old and were damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. If one of the two tubes were forced to close for repairs, rail capacity through the tunnels would be reduced by 75%.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee said, “The (T&I’s) committee’s visit underscores the urgent need to move forward with Gateway, a project of critical economic consequence—not just for our region, but the entire nation. Key portions of Gateway are ready to go pending the Administration’s cooperation, and I hope President Trump’s newfound commitment to passing an infrastructure bill starts with an immediate end to the stonewalling of Gateway.”