Read on Twitter
1) Today in #LearnAboutDOT we're going to look at the Gateway Project, the decade-long quest to rebuild the most used rail lines in the United States, and how this project will impact commuters. #BuildTheEra @nerdypursuit
2) In 2010, construction had already begun on the Access to the Region's Core Plan, to build two new rail tunnels from NJ into Penn Station. Half the total cost would be paid by federal funds and half from the Port Authority & the NJ Turnpike Authority. ( https://amp.northjersey.com/amp/3745617001?__twitter_impression=true)
3) Gov. Christie canceled the project in October 2010 - after voicing his support - because he thought the burden on taxpayers would be too high. His actual problem was that he wanted to divert money from ARC to pay for other projects without raising the gas tax.
4) The Christie administration and the Port Authority took about $2 billion from ARC, but later repaid $95 million to the DOT and settled with the SEC for $400,000 in 2017. Christie maintains that he made the right decision, because he sucks. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2017/01/10/sec-levies-400000-fine-christie-administration-misuse-18-billion-port-authority-funds/96398180/
5) So what happened to the rail lines? Nothing. The existing 100-year-old tunnels kept moving 200,000 people into Penn Station every day. In 2012, the condition of the tunnels got even worse when Hurricane Sandy hit and flooded them with saltwater, corroding the metal structures.
6) First announced in 2011, the Gateway Project proposes multiple plans to renovate and expand rail lines between Newark, NJ and NYC. The two main projects that make up Gateway are the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Portal Bridge Project.
http://www.gatewayprogram.org/about.html
http://www.gatewayprogram.org/about.html
7) Peter Rogoff, an undersecretary at DOT, met with Port Authority executives in 2015 to urge them to find a solution to this issue, saying that "the Obama administration was 'eager, if not anxious,' to reach an agreement on how to pay for the project." https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/08/nyregion/obama-administration-urges-quick-action-on-hudson-river-rail-tunnels.html
8) The Hudson Tunnel Project has two goals: the construction of a new two-track rail tunnel from New Jersey to New York Penn Station, and the renovation of the existing North River Tunnel, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
9) Work on the North River Tunnel is long overdue. If one of the lines had to be closed, capacity could go down by 75%, and the movement of people and goods in the most densely populated part of the country would be seriously impacted.
10) The Portal Bridge Project will replace the current swing bridge that spans the Hackensack River from Secaucus to Kearny NJ. The new bridge will increase capacity and make transit more reliable by removing the movable span, which often causes delays. https://www.portalbridgenec.com/
11) Why is the Gateway Project so important? The rail lines being renovated are part of the Northeast Corridor, the busiest passenger rail line in the U.S. Effective passenger and freight service here is vital to the economy, and reducing emissions is environmentally efficient.
12) Trump promised $1 trillion to fund infrastructure projects, and Sec. Chao said Gateway was a priority, but Trump walked away from funding. The project was an all-around win: a bipartisan effort for short-term job creation and long-term economic benefits, but he didn't care.
13) At a Congressional hearing in 2018, Chao admitted that Trump wasn't interested because he was "concerned about the viability of this project and the fact that New York and New Jersey have no skin in the game,â going back on her earlier promise. https://gothamist.com/news/how-trump-set-back-the-most-important-infrastructure-project-in-the-country
14) As of October, Gateway is projected to cost $13 billion and be completed in 2022. Gov. Murphy has made it a priority of his administration. Joe Biden supports the program, saying that the tunnels are "the lifeline to the Northeast." https://www.nj.com/traffic/2017/04/biden_america_owes_it_to_new_york_area_to_fund_hudson_river_tunnels.html)
15) Following Biden's nomination of Pete Buttigieg to be Secretary of Transportation, Gov. Murphy voiced his support for Buttigieg. https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/status/1339221713226174465?s=20
16) Rep. Tom Malinowski (D, NJ-7), who is heavily involved with the Gateway Project, was also happy with the nomination. https://twitter.com/Malinowski/status/1338947210814296064?s=20
