Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. highlighted the need for robust funding of the $13.4 billion Gateway Program during a meeting with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Rep. Payne, Jr. joined the Secretary on a trip through the current Hudson River Tunnel to review the need for urgent repairs. After the tour, Rep. Payne, Jr. discussed the need to fast track the approvals and funding proposals for the Hudson River Tunnel project, the need to include more minority businesses in federal construction projects, and Rep. Payne, Jr.’s push for more consistent funding for passenger rail.
"I want to thank the Secretary for coming to see firsthand that these tunnels need an upgrade,” said Rep. Payne, Jr. “They are more than 100 years old and any shutdown could cost the country $100 million in lost production every day. As Chairman of the Rail Subcommittee, I want to improve rail travel here and nationwide. Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden Administration have shown true leadership in their desire to modernize our transportation system. I know that desire will become new roads and bridges across the country soon. So again, I thank Secretary Buttigieg for coming and I invite him back for the future groundbreaking of the new Hudson River Tunnels in the future.”
The Gateway Program is the most critical infrastructure project in the country. The two projects in the program are the Portal North Bridge and Hudson River Tunnel. Each structure transports 200,000 passengers on 450 trains daily to destinations in the Northeast Corridor and across the country. Their use in the corridor contributes to the production of 20 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.
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