NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The long-stalled Gateway Tunnel Project may finally be funded next year when President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while standing at the Hudson Rail Yards on Monday, said funding for the project should be coming soon as Biden has already said he is committed to the project.
“There are billions and billions of dollars sitting and waiting for simply the flick of a pen,” Schumer said.
The project would create two new Amtrak train tunnels under the Hudson River, connecting Newark and New York City. The project would build new rail bridges.
The existing rail tunnels under the river are decaying as they are over 100 years old and were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The project, which has been in limbo for years now, would be a lifeline for commuters on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, whose trains frequently become stalled in the tunnels and on the bridges because of the failing infrastructure.
“Millions of people from New Jersey come into Manhattan to work every week and New York depends on these tunnels for our whole economy,” Sen.
Schumer said.
The Democrat says President Donald Trump has been holding the money hostage.
“Donald Trump has held Gateway hostage for four years,” Schumer said. “We are saying 'Free Gateway' now.”
He notes that the funding was already approved by Congress, but the Trump administration had labeled the project low priority and has yet to sign off on the project.
“The money for the Gateway Project is sitting in Washington waiting for a signature,” Schumer said.
The senator says the project will stabilize a critical economic link to New Jersey and create hundreds of new jobs.
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