Federal Transportation Policymakers to Visit N.Y.-N.J. ‘Gateway’

A New Jersey Transit train bound for New York enters one of the 100-year-old trans-Hudson tunnels in North Bergen, N.J. (Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg)

An area along the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey will be the site of a field trip federal policymakers have scheduled for the week of April 29 to raise the profile of a tunnel project known colloquially as “Gateway.”

Led by U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), the trip will entail a tour of the Gateway site and a roundtable discussion. Another roundtable is scheduled for May 3.

“During the trip, the delegation will also get a closer look at infrastructure projects along the Northeast Corridor, as well as in New York and New Jersey,” said a committee advisory published April 26. Roundtable participants have yet to be announced.

An Amtrak train exits the North River Tunnel in North Bergen, N.J. (Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg)

For several years, lawmakers primarily from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have called for the need to enhance rail connectivity to New York City. The current infrastructure is in need of upgrades, proponents argue. The Trump administration has not endorsed the project despite calls for a greater federal share.

“Further delays and lapses in funding for Gateway threaten the viability of our community’s economic participation, and I will continue fighting for the project’s advancement,” Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) said in March.