WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, passengers have watched state and federal officials promise and fail to renovate the centuries-old railroad tunnel connecting New Jersey with Midtown Manhattan, which has become symbol of old American infrastructure.
During a trip to New York City on Tuesday, President Biden touted his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a solution.
“This is just the beginning,” Biden said. “The beginning of building a 21st century railway system.”
Eight years after the Obama administration announced the project, known as the Gateway, as one of the most important public works programs in the nation, Biden officially announced that his administration is contributing $292 million. dollars in funding from the infrastructure law for the project.
While the grant will only support the initial construction phase, Mr. Biden’s choice to support a project neglected for years has become a pivotal moment for development – and for a president who has made repairing degraded roads, bridges and tunnels crucial to his plans to support the working class.
President Biden
This is where the president stands at the start of the third year of his term.
Mr. Biden’s visit to New York City comes as Republicans, who now control the House of Representatives, have accused him of advocating reckless spending that leads to inflation – a political loophole. Big for the White House has dented his numbers last year.
But in recent days, Mr. Biden has taken an underground tour to demonstrate that his economic plans are not just a price tag but a way to improve Americans’ lives. In Monday, he was in Baltimore highlights an investment of more than $4 billion to improve an aging railway tunnel there. This weekend, he’s hosting an event in Philadelphia to discuss lead pipe removal.
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Tuesday’s announcement was the first of many grants from Biden’s infrastructure package to be awarded to the Gateway program, according to a senior White House official who requested anonymity to describe the process. Competitive funding is underway.
The money will be used to expand the concrete cover for tunnels on the West Side of Manhattan, between Pennsylvania Station and the Hudson River. That work will begin digging 2.4-mile tunnels under the Hudson River, expected to take three years and cost more than $16 billion.
“This is one of the biggest and most important projects in the country,” Biden said. “But it will take time. It’s a multi-billion dollar effort between the states and the federal government. But we’ve got the money in the end, and we’re going to get it done.”
The Gateway project was delayed for years under the administration of President Donald J. Trump, who rejected an agreement to have the federal government cover half of the estimated cost.
His administration downplayed the project’s importance and delayed the licensing it needed to proceed. Meanwhile, estimates of the cost of building the Gateway have increased, in part due to high inflation rates. When Mr. Trump leaves office, the projected cost of the tunnel is $11.6 billion. Now it is $16.1 billion and the mining has not started yet. Last year, the tunnel completion schedule was extended by three years to 2035.
Existing tunnels were flooded with brackish water when Hurricane Sandy hit the area in 2012. Amtrak has been working on partial repairs to the tunnels but has warned that they will eventually have to be closed for full restoration. face. Amtrak officials said Penn Station will require expansion to accommodate the additional capacity in the Hudson corridor.
Jim Mathews, executive director of the Railroad Passengers Association, said it was important for the project to move forward. But he sees many obstacles ahead, citing a lack of expertise in managing projects like this at both the state and federal levels.
Such a lack of support can cause projects to be delayed and their costs to skyrocket, he said.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports from Washington, and Patrick McGeehan from New York. pedestrian marking Contribution report from Washington.
