Hello, I’m Brian Fritsch, Campaign Manager for the Build Gateway Now Coalition. Build Gateway Now is a coalition of over 45 civic, labor, business, and elected groups united by a single tenet - the Gateway Program is the nation’s most urgent infrastructure project.
We are thrilled the Hudson Tunnel project is finally in a position to move forward. With the long-awaited Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) completed, significant barriers facing the project have been cleared. As we continue our pandemic recovery, we can’t afford one more delay.
To that end, we were especially pleased Secretary Buttigieg joined Senators Schumer and Booker as well as many Congressmembers from New York and New Jersey for a tour of the Hudson Tunnel last week. It was fantastic to hear about the commitment the Biden Administration has made to this project. They clearly understand its urgency -- given both the underlying age of the infrastructure and the impacts of climate change on our transportation systems -- highlighted by significant delays caused by Tropical Storm Elsa late last week.
With the clarification from the U.S. DOT earlier this year that federal loans can be used to pay for the local share of the project cost, we hope the Hudson Tunnel project will soon meet or exceed the threshold for an improved rating in the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) process. The Build Gateway Now Coalition sent a letter to the States of New York and New Jersey, urging them to meet the July 30th deadline for identifying how they will support their local shares of the project cost. We also urge the other project partners --Amtrak, the Port Authority of NY and NJ, and U.S. DOT -- to do the same, so we can reach a full funding agreement for the project that will allow construction to begin in earnest. If New York and New Jersey do not state how they’ll contribute their share by the end of this month, it could mean Gateway will be significantly delayed yet again for another year.
Recent public ridership numbers also underscore the need for the Gateway Program to move forward. While weekday rail ridership on NJ Transit hovered at around 20% - 25% of pre-COVID levels for several months, it has now increased to approximately 50%. Weekend ridership has rebounded even more strongly, at approximately 80% of pre-COVID levels.
We urge the Federal Delegations of New York and New Jersey to pass legislation that will fund rail programs of regional and national economic significance. As outlined in an earlier letter to U.S. DOT, the current federal funding sources available for infrastructure rebuilding are too limited in their scope. We know what a profoundly positive impact the Gateway Program will have on the regional and national economy, considering the Hudson Tunnel project alone will add over 70,000 construction jobs and create over $19 billion in economic activity. Now is the time to act.
Many thanks to the members of the Gateway Development Commission for your continued service, and for the opportunity to submit our public comment to you today. We look forward to continuing to move the Gateway Program forward to promote equitable and sustainable transportation for all.
