The U.S. Department of Transportation on May 28 approved the long-stalled environmental impact statement from the Hudson River Gateway tunnel, a key milestone that was dragged out for years during the Trump administration.
The tunnel is a vital juncture for the Northeast Corridor, which stretches from Washington, D.C. to Boston, and is one of the world’s most heavily-traveled stretches of railway. Hundreds of thousands of commuters and hundreds of trains from Amtrak and New Jersey Transit used the Hudson tunnel in pre-COVID times.
But at more than a century old and sustaining heavy damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the tunnels are in dire need of repair. The price tag stands at $9.8 billion for the new tunnels and $1.8 billion to repair the existing tunnels.
In 2010, citing cost overruns, then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, scuttled plans for the ARC tunnel to replace the existing tunnel.
“This is a big step for the Northeast and the entire country as these tunnels connect so many people, jobs and businesses,” reads a statement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This decision is also an important reminder we are still capable of working together to advance ambitious projects together that can make life better for people, connect communities, and deliver a stronger future.”
The Friday approval, known as a Record of Decision, means that the tunnel can now be considered for federal funding needed to pay for the project, which would include a sizable chunk of dollars from the White House.
State and local officials initially expected the environmental approval in March 2018, after the environmental review was submitted that February.
“After three years of politically-motivated delays and attempts by the Trump Administration to derail Gateway, this long-overdue milestone gets us one step closer to building a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel and delivering New Jersey commuters the safe, reliable service they demand and deserve,” reads a statement from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat.
Should those funds come through, then New York, New Jersey and passenger rail service Amtrak, which owns the NEC, could begin work on the long-awaited tunnels.
The project met fierce opposition from the Trump administration, which repeatedly blocked funding and slow-walked approval of the environmental impact statement. That was despite agreements between Amtrak, New York, New Jersey and the Obama administration on how to pay for the antiquated tunnels, which advocates say are dangerously in need of repairs.
Proponents of the tunnels, including Gov. Phil Murphy and the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, contend that should the tunnels fail or need to be taken offline for vital repairs, the closure would send economic shockwaves across the region.
And it was a point that Biden agreed with during an April event in Philadelphia, estimating that a “single day without the Northeast Corridor … would cost the economy $100 million.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, called the tunnels “the most critical infrastructure project for our national economy.
“This long-awaited step brings us much closer to beginning the critical work of constructing the new Hudson Tunnel,” Murphy added.
