Gateway Tunnel Dig Is All Set to Begin, Except for $5.6 Billion
The construction permits are in place. President Joseph Biden, who rode Amtrak for years, took office after Donald Trump’s administration halted progress. The U.S. transportation secretary calls it a priority and his deputy used to be New York City’s top transportation official.
But dirt won’t fly for perhaps 21 months as the project awaits federal aid from the infrastructure law that directs $550 billion to roads, bridges and mass transit. For advocates, businesses and long-suffering commuters, the wait is excruciating.
“Now’s the time to get it done, frankly,” said Brian Fritsch, manager of advocacy campaigns for the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit that promotes economic and public works projects in the New York area. “Especially coming out of the pandemic, I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to do this project, which has been something people have been talking about for decades.”
Along with resolving the passenger-train bottleneck going into Manhattan and cutting down on commuting time, the Gateway project will spur $19 billion in economic activity and an estimated 72,000 jobs, officials have said. But the tortuous path of the project illustrates the hurdles that infrastructure developments face in the U.S. to obtain state and federal funding. Impact statements, environmental reviews, public hearings and financing commitments can take months to finalize, and often years.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gateway-tunnel-dig-is-all-set-to-begin-except-for-dollar56-billion/ar-AARotNA
Chris Christie is not there to block it this time