Date : Thu, 12 Nov 2015 12:45:03 -0500
For Immediate Release
November 12, 2015
Contact Jeff Tittel 609-558-9100
Gateway Tunnel Moving Forward: Will New Jersey Have its $hare?
An announcement will be made today on an agreement by federal government and the state of New Jersey and New York for funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project. The growing issues for commuters including major delays on public transit and aging infrastructure show the need for a train tunnel under the Hudson River to New York City. Though the federal government will commit to fund at least 50 percent of the cost, we are concerned that the State of New Jersey will not be able to afford their side of the deal. Governors Christie and Cuomo would be responsible for the other half of the estimated $20 billion cost. With New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund broken, it is uncertain where the funding with come from. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“This is great news. It is important that the federal government is stepping up to pay for half of the Gateway Tunnel. We applaud Senator Booker for his leadership in making this deal happen. This tunnel project is desperately needed to get commuters to work and to help improve mass transit. These tunnels are not only vital for New Jersey and New York City, but for the region and the whole Northeast Corridor. It will double the capacity of the tunnels to transport people to and from New Jersey and New York City. The project will allow commuters to work in the morning easier, with fewer delays and more trains. The existing tunnels are 100 years old and have been seriously damaged from Hurricane Sandy. This project will allow us to repair and replace those old tunnels in the future and make our transportation system more resilient.”
“The tunnel project is the most important piece of transportation infrastructure we need in the region. It will create a backup tunnel for Amtrak that would service Penn Station, and enable trains to travel from one area of the metropolitan region to another. It will also help the expansion of New Jersey Transit to other areas. The project will get more commuters and passengers out of their cars and reduce traffic and air pollution. It means that more people from the Raritan Valley and other regions of New Jersey will be able to commute non-stop on a one-seat ride. This project will bring more economic impacts. We will not have to pay for the Moynihan Station, to allow more New Jersey trains to come to New York. Thousands more people are going to be able to commute to New York City and it will also create more jobs during the construction of the tunnel.”
“The project will increase ridership and make it easier for regional activity. This would expand Penn Station and allow New Jersey passengers to have easy access to the Long Island Railroad. It will allow more through trains from places like Trenton to Montauk, New York or from Bayhead to Greenwich, Connecticut. The tunnel will even make it easier for our region to get to Boston and Florida. It is important for all different parties to get together with a funding plan. That is why it is good to see the federal and state government commit to split the cost. The first big question is will New Jersey come up with our share of the funding which is 25 percent? If we don’t put in our share, then there is no tunnel. We are concerned if New Jersey will be able to fund the project because we still have dilapidated bridges and a broken Transportation Trust Fund.”
“Even though this is great news, unless New Jersey comes up with a source of funding the project may not happen. Governor Christie has agreed to pay for 25 percent of the tunnel, but we do not have a funding mechanism in place. He has not raised the gas tax and the TTF is broke and he has not come up with a funding source to fix TTF. Governor Christie killed the ARC Tunnel so that he can take the money to fix bridges and roads without raising the gas tax. Instead of killing the ARC tunnel, if he brought it back to Penn Station instead of Macy’s Basement, that tunnel would be half-way built by now. Now that money is gone, our roads and bridges are failing, and we still have we have no way of funding TTF. Unfortunately this was never about saving taxpayers money; it was really about his national political ambitions. Instead of building the tunnel, will this be a hole in the ground that will not get finished?
“ We cannot allow tunnel vision to prevent the Gateway from moving forward. The TTF is broken and we must fix it. The New Jersey legislature still has cold feet for raising the gas tax. New Jersey commuters have experienced hours of delays, breakdown of trains, overcrowding as well as equipment failures. Having more dissatisfied transit riders means more people will drive, adding to traffic, pollution, and sprawl. We need more trains moving into New York City to reduce traffic. This would have not happened without Senator Booker’s hard work. This deal is great, but we need to make sure New Jersey comes up with the 25 percent of the funding. Without a quarter-of-a-tunnel, there is still no tunnel.”
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Toni Granato Administrative Assistant New Jersey Sierra Club office:(609) 656-7612 https://www.facebook.com/NJSierraClub Received on 2015-11-12 09:45:03