Menendez, Booker Applaud Long-overdue Record Of Decision To Advance The Gateway Tunnels

Press Release

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today praised the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for clearing a major regulatory hurdle that will allow the Gateway Program and construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel to advance. The FRA's Record of Decision (ROD) issued today approves the required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Hudson River tunnel project that was delayed more than three years by the Trump Administration in an effort to stall Gateway.

"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," said Sen. Menendez, a senior member of the Senate's mass transit subcommittee. "The FRA's Record of Decision allows us to move forward towards completing the full Gateway Program--the nation's most important transportation project--that will modernize our rail infrastructure and ensure the region's long-term economic vitality. In recent weeks, Secretary Buttigieg and Nuria Fernandez, the acting head of the Federal Transit Administration, gave me their word that they will continue to work with me, our state's congressional delegation, Governor Murphy, and the project sponsors to advance Gateway--and I intend to hold them to their commitments."

"I applaud FRA for issuing a final record of decision that will move the Hudson River Tunnel Project into the next phase, marking yet another exciting step toward providing New Jersey commuters the relief they desperately need," said Sen. Booker. "Since the early meetings of the stakeholders for this project, we affirmed long-term commitments to updating this outdated infrastructure and putting the Gateway Program back on track. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Menendez, our stakeholders, the Gateway Commission, and the Biden Administration in seeing Gateway through to completion."

The Record of Decision was expected on March 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) stated deadline after the EIS was submitted in February 2018.

The current Hudson River rail tunnels were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Building a new tunnel allows trains to travel between New Jersey and New York City while the old ones are taken out of service for repair. Should the existing Hudson River tunnels need to be taken out of service without a replacement in place, Amtrak estimates that a shutdown of the NEC could cost the economy nearly $100 million in transportation-related impacts and productivity losses per day.

During a May 20 Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing, Sen Menendez secured a commitment from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to advance the Gateway Project, including finishing the Portal Bridge and building a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel.

"Yes, you have our commitment to work with your office, other members of the delegation, and the project sponsors," Secretary Buttigieg told Sen. Menendez during the hearing. "This is an example of a project that may be located in one region but is so critical that you would feel it anywhere in the country if there were to be, for example, a failure in one of these critical tunnels. So we're continuing to see this move along and are committed to working with you to see it go forward."

Earlier this month, Nuria Fernandez, President Biden's nominee to be Federal Transit Administrator, also committed to Sen. Menendez to work with stakeholders to advance Gateway. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) administers the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, the single-largest source of federal funding for large-scale transit capital projects like Gateway, and evaluates transit projects to determine their eligibility for funding.

NJ TRANSIT and the FTA recently finalized a Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Portal North Bridge project, a key component of Gateway, allowing it to access over $800 million in federal funding primarily through the CIG program. After four years of arbitrary delays, unsubstantiated rating cuts and other roadblocks put up during the Trump Administration, the Full Funding Grant Agreement allows construction of a new Portal North Bridge to move forward. The 110-year-old, antiquated, swing-style span over the Hackensack River in Kearny has long been considered the linchpin of the entire Northeast Corridor (NEC) and the source of major service disruptions for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT riders, and carries an average 450 trains and 200,000 passengers each day.

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