U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D- NJ) urged the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to make the Hudson River Tunnel project’s financial plan a top priority so construction can begin on the project soon.
In a Sept. 16 letter, Payne asked FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez to give the financial plan “full and fair consideration” to prevent further delays in the nearly $12 billion project.
“This tunnel is a critical artery for the Northeast Corridor, which generates 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product,” Payne wrote. “If the tunnel were to shut down for any reason, it would cost our economy $100 million every day in lost output and disrupt travel for 200,000 daily passengers.”
Part of the Gateway Program, the new Hudson River Tunnel is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the nation, Payne’s office said, and is a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan.
In his letter, Payne said the “current tunnel is part of America’s rapidly decaying infrastructure that needs to be brought into the 21st century. Without a new tunnel, rail travel will be critically impacted along the Northeast Corridor and economic disruptions will reverberate across the entire nation.”
The Congressman said the Gateway Program Project Partners had submitted their updated financial plan on Aug. 27. That plan is key to the FTA rating determination under the Capital Investment Grants program. Payne said that after six years of delays, he was glad to see that the Biden Administration had taken steps toward full approval and eligibility for federal funding, and the groups were hopeful the approval process would move forward quickly.