Work Begins on $16.1 Billion New York-New Jersey Tunnel
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
The $16.1 billion, long-delayed, once-canceled effort to build a new rail tunnel linking New York and New Jersey is officially starting construction after more than a decade of false starts.
鈥淭his is a day that I know that this city, this region, this country has been looking for and waiting for for a very long time,鈥 said at an event in the Hudson Yards neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan on Nov. 3. Buttigieg was flanked by construction equipment and was joined by New York Gov. , Sens. and , and other officials.
The Gateway Project is key to easing congestion under the Hudson River, a chokepoint on the Northeast Corridor that runs between Boston and Washington, the country鈥檚 busiest passenger-train route, carrying more than 750,000 daily passengers. The existing tunnel, which is owned by and also used by New Jersey Transit, is more than a century old and increasingly unreliable.
The initial phase of construction will build underground casings for trains to pass through, connecting the new tunnel to New York City鈥檚 Pennsylvania Station. But it will be years before commuters feel relief. The new two-track tunnel isn鈥檛 expected to be in service until 2035.
Gillibrand called the project a 鈥渕onumental undertaking.鈥
Earlier this year, the Gateway tunnel received a $6.9 billion federal grant commitment from the , a key piece of funding needed for further construction. Another $3.8 billion of federal funding was announced on Nov. 3, bringing the total contribution from Washington to more than $11 billion, or about 70% of the project, Schumer said at the event.
New York and New Jersey have agreed to split the remaining costs.
Efforts to build a new tunnel and reduce rail congestion between New York and New Jersey have been underway since the 1990s. But the initiative has been caught in political crossfire, leading to years of delays.
Big News: I鈥檓 announcing that the Gateway Tunnel will receive $3.8 billion in new federal funds. As the tunnel casing construction commences, the federal money is allocated and all systems go! The federal share of cost is now at nearly 70%, saving NY taxpayers billions! 鈥 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer)
A predecessor tunnel project, with full funding in place, had started construction when it was canceled by then-New Jersey Gov. in 2010, who said the state couldn鈥檛 afford it. The Gateway project was proposed a year later but stalled under the Trump administration.
President Joe Biden鈥檚 infrastructure law appropriated an additional $8 billion over five years to the Federal Transit Administration鈥檚 Capital Investment Grant program, which included Gateway on a list of priorities. Earlier this year, Biden鈥檚 administration allocated $292 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law to complete a critical early phase of the project.
鈥淎ll systems are a go,鈥 Schumer said. 鈥淭here is no turning back.鈥
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below听or go here for more info:
