NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in New York City on Monday to tour a set of Hudson River train tunnels damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
Buttigieg was joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in getting a close-up view of the crumbling 110-year-old tunnels that carry New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains from New Jersey to Manhattan.
"It was the best construction that you could possibly get 110 years ago," Buttigieg said after seeing the now-dilapidated tunnels firsthand. "You go into that tunnel and you look up and you see the concrete spalling, you can start to see some of the rebar exposed under it."
The tunnels were the first topic Schumer brought up to Buttigieg after he was confirmed as transportation secretary.
"I asked him to come and look at Gateway firsthand and he said, 'Yes, right away,'" Schumer said.
The visit comes days after Congress and the White House struck a tentative deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that could help pay to fix the tunnels after the Biden administration assured lawmakers that the president would not hold out on signing it for a larger Democrat-backed plan.
Amtrak estimates the cost of building new tunnels and repairing the old ones to be $11.6 billion. It's part of the larger Gateway Project that's aimed at expanding rail capacity in the New York region.
After decades of plans and proposals, the long-delayed Gateway tunnels may finally see the light of day.
"This time for the first time in a long time we have total alignment between the president of the United States, the Biden-Harris administration, leadership in the House and Senate and, importantly, the American people to do big things and infrastructure," Buttigieg said.
The tunnels have been a source of endless frustration for New Jersey Transit commuters and Buttigieg understands their importance for the economy.
"If one of these tunnels were to go out of service you would be feeling the economic impact all the way back in Indiana where I come from. That's how important this is," Buttigieg said.
The governors of New York and New Jersey had previously committed to pay for half of the cost with the feds picking up the rest of the tab.
The project's biggest obstacle now may be Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who recently threatened to withhold his quarter share of the money if planners don't look at different construction techniques, such as those utilized to repair Sandy-damaged subway tunnels under the East River. The fix of the tunnel used for the L train prevented the complete shutdown of the tube for more than a year, as had been planned.
Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia said they're working through their differences.
"And we came up with a way of building this tunnel that we think protects the safety, reliability and It's effectiveness of what we're trying to build here," Coscia said.
Buttigieg believes they can talk through any concerns.
"We're going to look after federal dollars and make sure that they're used in the right way in partnership with the states that are putting up their part of it," Buttigieg said.
Cuomo was notably absent from the post-tour press conference.
The governor did issue a statement after Buttigieg's visit saying, "With President Biden and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, we feel much more optimistic about the direction of this major project. Secretary Buttigieg's visit to see the Hudson Tunnels is another step towards a restoration of the collaborative federal-state partnership needed to bring the new Gateway Tunnel project into reality."
"The state also has other pressing infrastructure needs such as East Side Access, Second Avenue Subway, Congestion Pricing, and infrastructure in our upstate cities. The Gateway project requires a 50 percent state funding match - 25 from New York State and 25 from New Jersey. It is imperative that we use our state funds in a cost-effective manner to do as much work as possible," Cuomo added. "We look forward to working with our federal partners and expect to see a smart, fair, cost-effective plan to get the Gateway Tunnel project completed."
Construction on the tunnels could get started as soon as next year.