The Gateway/Hudson River Tunnels project is a national infrastructure priority, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) recently said in a letter to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Frelinghuysen is chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
In the letter, Frelinghuysen said the project, which would build a new Amtrak tunnel under the Hudson River, is the most important infrastructure project in the country and needs FTA and U.S. Department of Transportation participation and investment to move forward.
The Obama Administration said in 2015 that the federal transportation agencies and Amtrak would fund half the project. New York and New Jersey would be required to fund the other half.
The Trump Administration, however, said in December that this agreement was nonexistent and that the states should not expect federal help when the majority of passengers are local residents.
Frelinghuysen had secured $900 million for the project in the House’s 2018 transportation bill, but the bill failed to pass the Senate.
“It is …imperative we pursue Gateway to ensure millions of Americans continue to access this vital economic Northeast Corridor that enables safe transportation of more than 800,000 daily riders, from Washington to Boston, in an area that supports approximately 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP),” the letter said.