Hudson County electeds urged President Donald Trump (R) administration to reverse funding cuts for the Gateway Tunnel project at yesterday’s board of commissioners meeting.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I join with Commissioner Baselice and the rest of this board to support a resolution that will be presented through this party to attempt to prevent the stopping of that tunnel,” noted Hudson County Executive Craig Guy.
“That tunnel is a necessity not only for Hudson County, it’s a necessity for the whole region up here in North Jersey and Central Jersey. So I join with you again to be part of what we all think is a commitment to Hudson County residents.”
The old North River Tunnel is the frequent source of chronic delays for hundreds of thousands of daily passengers. Without a new tunnel, closing it will disrupt travel up and down the East Coast, costing the national economy an estimated $16 billion.
Not only that, it will increase traffic, resulting in longer commutes for drivers and delay emergency response, as well as reduce property values in the region by $22 billion and train service between New York City and Washington, D.C., would be cut in half, officials said.
The project will result in two renovations to the rail network, including: the construction of a new, two-tube train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey; and the rehabilitation of the North River Tunnel which has been in service since 1910.
Officials have described the Gateway, also know as, the Hudson Tunnel Project as an urgent investment in the country’s passenger rail network that aims to improve transportation and the national economy for decades.
The resolution adopted by the commissioners calls on Trump to immediately restore federal funding for this infrastructure investment, as the Northeast Corridor provides essential transportation that connects workers to jobs throughout the region that generates an approximate 20 percent of America’s GDP.
The project is also a major job creator, which will generate 95,000 jobs and $19.6 billion in economic activity.
Commissioner Albert Cifelli (D-9) declared that there is intense politicization of basic issues coming out of the White House at the moment.
“Let’s not forget that the White House… they’ve been very politicized with respect to blue states versus red states. Let’s not be unmindful of the fact that the Tunnel Project is a project that immediately would serve the states of New York and New Jersey,” he claimed.
“I would submit it helps the entire United States, but it’s a project that is really focused on two blue states. Those two things come together, let’s not forget that. The politicization of the current administration in Washington is focused on red versus blue. Unfortunately, we have one president who doesn’t see us as one nation. He sees it as red and blue. Unfortunately, we’re on the blue side, but not for long.”
In interviews with HCV after the meeting, Commissioners Bill O’Dea (D-2) and Fanny Cedeno (D-6) explained why the voted in favor of the resolution in question.
“It’s a critical project. I’ve been a supporter of it from the beginning. It makes no sense for the Trump Administration to stop it. Everyone knows it’s needed. It’s putting people to work now and it’s addressing a transportation issue that everyone knows exists and has to be addressed,” O’Dea asserted.
Cedeno, a new Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner, echoed a similar sentiment.
“Losing the funding for that project would be a disservice to the Hudson County community. I’m on the Port Authority board now and I look forward to advocating for it,” she explained.
“With all of the transportation issues now, with this area continuing to burgeon with population growth, it’s so important that this project be committed to finish Commissioner Cedeno said that it’s essential that we stress to everyone involved how important this is to our community, to alleviate a lot of the trauma that people have that are going to work everyday that need to facilitate their means of transportation.”
A representative of the project stakeholders, Senior Director of Community and Government Affairs for the Gateway Development Commission Rebecca Zack thanked the county for standing behind the vital project.
“We are at a critical moment that you can all appreciate. We have hundreds of millions of dollars of construction happening on both sides of the river and in the river. So we all know that this is a vital project to keep going. I cannot tell you how much the Gateway Development Commission appreciates all of your support a being vocal about it,” she said.
“If we need to come back to the well again, we will. And I know it is incredibly heartening to see Jersey stand behind us. I know this has been a vital project for all of you for decades, and that our scar still stings. But I just want to tell you that we are here, and we will fight until the very end to make this happen.”
