(TRENTON) – A resolution (AR-121) sponsored by Assembly Members Patricia Egan Jones and Daniel Benson urging the Trump Administration to adhere to a an agreement made by the governors of New Jersey, New York and the federal government to fund the Gateway Program Cleared the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on Thursday.
“These are some of the most traveled railways in the country, and they are doomed to fail without renovations,” said Egan Jones (D-Camden/Gloucester). We had an agreement in place, and the federal government’s word should mean something.”
The Gateway Program is a series of related projects, the biggest among them being the Hudson Tunnel Project which involves the construction of two new rail tracks under the Hudson River, and the Portal Bridge.
As per the original agreement, the federal government and Amtrak would provide 50 percent of the funding, while New Jersey and New York would sort out the rest.
President Trump has repeatedly stated that he no longer accepts the agreement.
“The Gateway Program is the most critical and pressing transportation initiative for New Jersey and the northeast region,” said Transportation and Independent Authorities Chair Daniel Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “For the President and his administration not to fully support the Gateway Program is a blatant disregard for the economic wellbeing and safety of our residents.”
Legislators on both sides of the Hudson consider the need for the tunnel to be vital with the decline in the current infrastructure and the economic ties between the two states, but uncertainty remains about how and when the project will be financed.