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Jersey City NJ, the Gateway Project is a monumental initiative designed to enhance rail travel between New York and New Jersey. This ambitious $16 billion plan includes constructing a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repairing the existing North River tunnel, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
Continue reading The Gateway Project: Transforming Rail Travel Between New York and New Jersey
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file photo by Boyd Loving
Nicholas Pugliese , State House Bureau, @nickpugzPublished 5:27 p.m. ET April 19, 2017
Several of New Jersey’s high-ranking elected officials gathered in Newark Penn Station Wednesday to present the federal government with a dire warning: either follow through on a commitment to fund a portion of the $24 billion trans-Hudson rail project known as Gateway or, in the words of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, prepare for “traffic Armageddon.”
“We are in a state of crisis,” said Booker, a Democrat. “In fact, we are long past a state of crisis and New Jersey residents are feeling it just about every single day.”
Gateway, perceived as one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country, would double rail capacity between Newark and New York City by digging a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and upgrading aging bridges, among other improvements.
But it’s a race against time. The current two-track tunnel under the Hudson River was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy and will need to be repaired in the next 20 years, reducing train service by 75 percent.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 10:55 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 11:02 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A new $20 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River would be built, and partly paid for, by the Port Authority under a plan described last week by Governor Christie and his New York counterpart, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Left unaddressed, though, was a fundamental question: Does the bi-state agency that collects tolls at the Hudson River vehicular crossings have the legal authority to lead a project to build a rail tunnel that will be used exclusively by other agencies — in this case, Amtrak and NJ Transit?
Some lawyers and lawmakers say no — not unless both states’ legislatures specifically approve the Port Authority’s involvement.
The issue is more than just an arcane legal question.
It rekindles other recent controversies over the legality of using Port Authority money — including the $14 cash tolls collected at its bridges and tunnels and airport fees — to fund non-Port Authority projects. The Port Authority is already facing an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and federal regulators for shifting $1.8 billion in toll money to New Jersey-owned roads at the behest of the Christie administration.
The governors’ proposal for the tunnel also puts the Port Authority, an agency buffeted by a series of scandals that have dented Christie’s presidential hopes, at the center of one of the biggest public works projects in the country.
“It’s premature at this point to discuss what role the Port Authority may be asked to play with respect to the tunnel project,” Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said Friday. “At an appropriate time, we will ensure we have adequate legal basis for any involvement we do have.”
By law, the Port Authority is allowed to undertake projects associated with its existing facilities or new projects authorized by state lawmakers in both New York and New Jersey. But over the years, the Port Authority has found creative ways to bypass the requirement of legislative approval.
