After a long delay, the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River just received approval for $11.6 billion in federal funding. The construction of the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River will include new railroad infrastructure in New Jersey and New York that will connect the new rail tunnel to the existing Northeast Corridor and rehabilitate the existing NEC tunnel beneath the Hudson River accessible to both Amtrak and NJ Transit.
Quoted in the New York Times, Steven M. Cohen, co-chairman of the Gateway Program Development Corporation, the agency overseeing the project, commented, “We’re now where we should have been four years ago. All of this has been in suspended animation for four years for no reason other than politics and games.”
The news was jointly released on Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This is a much-needed restoration of the damages from 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. “Since the hurricane, transportation officials in the New York region have worried about the deteriorating condition of the existing tubes under the Hudson. Salt left over from the flooding has been eating away at the interior walls and electrical cables, forcing occasional shutdowns for repairs,” states the New York Times article.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said, “This is a big step for the Northeast, and for the entire country, as these tunnels connect so many people, jobs, and businesses. This decision is also an important reminder that we are still capable of working together to advance ambitious projects that can make life better for people, connect communities, and deliver a stronger future. Now we need to make sure to provide the funding America needs to deliver world-leading infrastructure in this region and in every part of the country.”
The massive project is expected to be completed in eight years.
