During Blumenthal's Questioning, Deputy Transportation Secretary Nominee Calls Gateway Program a Priority
“This is not a project we can fail to complete, we are going to have to find a way to do Gateway,” says Trottenberg
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, received assurance from Deputy Secretary of Transportation nominee, Polly Trottenberg that the proposed Gateway Program will be a priority of the Biden administration. The critical project, strongly supported by Blumenthal, would not only make necessary modernizations and improvements to the aging transportation infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rail network, but it would include the construction of a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River and make repairs to the North River Tunnel.
“I’d like to know how big a priority you think this project should be, because clearly in my view, without the Gateway Project, our rail and possibly other transportation systems will collapse on the East Coast,” Blumenthal questioned Trottenberg. “It could literally cripple the transportation grid as we know it now, and yet there have been delays and foot dragging and finger pointing.”
“Gateway is going to be a priority. It is truly a project of national significance. And, as you say, one that really would have a massive rippling impact if we were to see those over 100-year tunnels under the Hudson River, for some reason, need to be shut down. I know both the President and the Secretary have spoken about this project, and that the Department is going to be hard at work at making sure that we are picking up the pace and expediting the environmental and the other approvals needed for this project,” Trottenberg responded.
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