Washington, D.C. — Under questioning from Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. during a hearing before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg committed to expeditiously resolving the current delays that are preventing the Gateway Program from moving forward. The Secretary also emphasized the importance of securing dedicated funding for rail infrastructure projects and his commitment to creating more opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses in government transportation contracts.
“As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, I have a vested interest in resolving the tremendous backlog of rail infrastructure projects,” said Rep. Payne, Jr. “Chief among them is the Gateway Program.”
The current train tunnel under the Hudson River is more than a century old and carries more than 200,000 commuters per day. More than 20 Amtrak routes flow through the tunnel and, on average, a train passes through it every two and a half minutes. If the tunnels were to fail, it could cost over $100 million per day in lost economic output. Following the January 2021 final approval to build the Portal North Bridge, replacing the Hudson River tunnel is the next major infrastructure project to be completed as part of the Gateway Program.
The Trump administration set up a number of administrative roadblocks to prevent the project from moving forward, including requirements that made it ineligible for federal funds. The Biden administration began the process of removing these roadblocks in February 2021.
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