N.Y. Official: No Timeline for New Tunnel Under Hudson
The governors of New York and New Jersey pledged last month to contribute half the expected $20 billion cost of a new tunnel under the Hudson River.
However, speaking on Oct. 26 in Washington at CG/LA’s North American Infrastructure Leadership Forum, Ron Thaniel, New York’s Deputy Secretary of Transportation, offered no timetable to build what’s being called the Gateway Project, which the Obama Administration has termed the nation’s most pressing new infrastructure piece.
“That’s where they are now,” Thaniel said of his boss, Andrew Cuomo, and New Jersey’s Chris Christie.
Thaniel was a last-minute substitute for Cuomo, who was being honored by CGLA as the Infrastructure Leader of the Year.
“We have to replace the rail tunnels under the Hudson,” Thaniel said during his remarks. “Those tunnels were severely damaged in [2012 during Hurricane] Sandy and are in need of major repair. The $20 billion price tag is beyond the means of any state. Nevertheless the governor has stepped up with a commitment, along with his counterpart from New Jersey, to fund half of this project critical to the region and the entire nation. The cost and complexity of these projects make it all the more important for the state to continue to establish partnerships, not just with levels of government, but also with the private sector. By adding tools to our toolbox, by using innovative project delivery methods, by cutting our bureaucratic red tape … we’re building more in New York today than at any time since the 1960s.”
The new tunnel would enhance freight delivery through the nation’s most populous metropolitan region, with trucks handling the final miles after goods go under the Hudson via rail.
AECOM’s Karl Reichelt, who introduced Thaniel, said, “Gov. Cuomo and his administration are probably doing more for the infrastructure sector than just about anywhere else.”
Thaniel noted New York’s long history of massive infrastructure projects dating to the Erie Canal, the Brooklyn Bridge and the start of the city’s subway in the 19th century.
“In New York, we are building new bridges, transforming our airports and reimagining our infrastructure,” Thaniel said. “There’s one thing that you don’t want to say to Gov. Cuomo. Never ever say that this how it always has been done. He believes that government should be bold and should be daring.”
Hence the P3 projects to redo the aging Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson, which had been mulled for a decade with no action, and to revamp the even older LaGuardia Airport in Queens, which is scheduled to take just 39 months.
“Talk about planning paralysis,” Thaniel said. “No one could find the political will to move this project forward. The Tappan Zee Bridge became a metaphor for dysfunction in government. Gov. Cuomo said to the private sector, ‘We’re going to tell you what we want it to do. You come up with the most creative ways to do it, save us some time, save us some money.’ The winning bid came in at less than $4 billion [nearly $2 billion less than expected]. The Obama Administration fast-tracked the project. It’s on time and on budget [with a 2018 completion date]. We’ve used [that model] on a dozen projects statewide, saving another nearly $1 billion and shaving 20 years off project completion dates.”
Thaniel added that his department is looking to invest in road and bridge improvements that will help trucking, mostly upstate.
