WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee, today issued the following statement in reaction to a new report by the Regional Plan Association (RPA) outlining the economic impact of a shutdown of the deteriorating Hudson rail tunnels prior to completion of the Gateway Project:

“This report is clear and decisive: New Jersey is sitting on a transportation ticking time bomb. Failing to complete construction of a new Hudson River rail tunnel before the current dilapidated tunnels are forced to shut down would cripple our economy and create real hardships for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend each day on a safe and reliable transportation system. The latest RPA study outlines in unambiguous terms the havoc a Hudson rail tunnel shutdown will wreak on our regional and national economies in lost jobs, lost production, diminished revenues, and plummeting home values, senselessly putting at risk the livelihoods and economic security of hardworking families and small business owners. We can get Gateway done faster and cheaper with the Trump Administration fully on board. Not only must we move forward on Gateway without further delay, but this report underscores why we cannot afford not to.”