WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee, continued to press the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to advance Gateway after Secretary Elaine Chao delivered conflicting news on the project to repair and replace century-old rail infrastructure on Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Newark Penn Station and New York City.

“While I am pleased that Secretary Chao has finally, publicly acknowledged the importance of Gateway, and applaud the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) decision to advance replacement of the Sawtooth Bridges in Kearny, we must move full speed ahead on the entire Gateway Project without further delay,” said Sen. Menendez. “The Sawtooth project—a key component of Gateway—will repair aging infrastructure and eliminate a bottleneck on the NEC. But, while you need tires and a steering wheel to operate a car, that car isn’t going anywhere without an engine, and the Hudson River tunnel is the engine that drives Gateway. Yet, DOT continues to invent new reasons to withhold approval of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that’s been sitting on the Secretary’s desk for two years to stall construction of a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel. These delay tactics irresponsibly put at risk the entire Northeast Corridor that carries 450 trains and 200,000 passenger trips a day and fuels one-fifth of the nation’s entire economy.”

The Sawtooth Bridges carry NJ Transit (NJT) and Amtrak trains over PATH, Conrail and NJT’s Morris and Essex Lines to Hoboken, and are in poor shape. The Sawtooth replacement would double the tracks in that area from two to four.

While FRA approved Sawtooth’s environmental assessment, Secretary Chao told the Senate Appropriations Committee that DOT would continue to withhold approval of the Hudson tunnel’s EIS, which is required before that project could move forward.

Earier this month, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that it upgraded its rating to medium-high for the Portal North Bridge replacement project—a significant step towards making it eligible for federal funding—but maintained a medium-low rating for construction of a new trans-Hudson River rail tunnel.

Amtrak estimates that a disruption of the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. would cost the country $100 million a day in lost production and economic activity.

Last month, Sen. Menendez joined a group of senators from all eight states along the Northeast Corridor in demanding the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) finalize and approve plans to immediately advance the Hudson Tunnel Project.

In responding to a question from Sen. Menendez during a Feb. 12 Banking Committee hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testified that any sustained closing of the NEC due to a failure of either the Portal Bridge or Hudson River rail tunnels would put the economy at significant risk. Leading transit experts and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, testifying before a separate Banking hearing on Feb. 25, told Sen. Menendez that Gateway is a “key project” that should be federally funded and move forward.

In an effort to reduce the risk and impact of a Portal Bridge failure during peak travel times, Sen. Menendez helped broker an agreement by the U.S. Coast Guard to restrict large marine vessels from passing through the Portal Bridge along the Hackensack River during morning and evening rush hours. In October and at the Senator’s request, the Coast Guard agreed to take steps to make that order permanent, publishing its final rule last month, which provides temporary relied to commuters pending completion of the Portal Bridge replacement that will be higher and no longer need to open for passing marine craft.

Sen. Menendez has also consistently supported and voted to fund federal programs that could be used to advance Gateway.

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