Hi I’m Sophie Cappello, and I am testifying on behalf of Regional Plan Association as the Campaign Associate for the Build Gateway Now coalition.

Thank you to the GDC for inviting public comments today and congratulations on submitting the application for the Federal Funding Grant Agreement for the Hudson Tunnel Project to enter into the engineering phase. Applying for the FFGA is a necessary and important milestone, but with thousands of pages of application materials, it is not an easy process. The GDC and project partners have continued to meet deadlines each step of the way, and it’s so rewarding to see this project move forward.

At RPA, we are working on a series of public engagement tools to help the media and the public better understand the federal funding process for infrastructure projects of this size. As supporters of the Gateway Program, it’s critical that we all do what we can to keep our networks engaged and sustain the momentum that the GDC and partners have built up over the past few months. We are fortunate to have a federal administration that is supportive of this project, so we must urge our federal partners to put forward the maximum amount of CIG funding for this as soon as possible. We have to capitalize on the current political landscape, which we are only guaranteed for the next two years, so that construction on the Hudson River Tunnels can begin in the fall of 2024 as planned.

We also must continue to urge New York and New Jersey to cooperate politically and financially, as they have generally done, to maximize the federal-state funding partnership. With an informed and aligned coalition of Gateway supporters from both states, urging this partnership will be easier.

Now that the Gateway program is entering the engineering phase, construction on the Hudson River Tunnels is in sight. Thank you to the Gateway Development Commission for moving this critical project forward, and to all partners working toward this goal.