New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo delivered a letter to President Barack Obama Tuesday outlining a framework for funding of a new trans-Hudson commuter rail tunnel.
The governors' proposal calls for a federal grant commitment covering 50% of the Amtrak Gateway project's total costs. New York, New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey would then take responsibility for developing a financing plan to cover the other half of the initiative. The project is estimated to cost more than $14 billion.
"We are writing jointly in an attempt to move the stalled project forward by putting a funding proposal on the table that we believe is realistic, appropriate and fair," Cuomo and Christie wrote to Obama. "This funding framework is comparable to previous structures proposed for a new tunnel."
Cuomo and Christie also requested that federal environmental and planning approvals be expedited so that the tunnel project can move forward as quickly as possible. Both governors have made a commitment speed up approvals with similar state-level reviews.
The letter to Obama comes just over a month after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., proposed the creation of a new nonprofit development corporation that would unite transportation agencies together to arrange financing for the tunnel. The letter explains the strong support being offered by Schumer along with congressional delegations from New York and New Jersey.
"Today's announcement is an important step forward for construction of the Gateway project in order to avert the economic catastrophe that would occur if one of the 105-year-old rail tunnels closes before the new ones are built," said New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester. "My Senate colleagues and I have made the construction of the Gateway tunnel an absolute priority. It is now up to the federal government to act quickly to both match the local commitment and expedite the project," he said.
"Building the Gateway tunnel is critical to avoid the commuting nightmare that would occur if a tunnel closure forced 75,000 rail commuters onto already overcrowded buses, highways and PATH trains, but that's just the first stage," said New Jersey State Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge. "The project also will double New Jersey rail commuter capacity to New York and ensure the region's economic growth."
