A light could be seen at the end of the Gateway Tunnel after the project regained $77 million in federal funding.
“Please release the money, let us build this tunnel. Let us go to work! That’s what we wanna do, we wanna go to work!” said Gary LaBarbera, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
What You Need To Know
The Gateway Tunnel Project regained $77 million on Tuesday after federal funding was frozen in October
New York and New Jersey both sued the Trump administration after it missed a deadline to restart funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project
Lawmakers argue that the $16 billion tunnel project is urgent because the current 116-year-old tunnel, which is heavily damaged from Hurricane Sandy, could fail at any moment
Schumer says the remaining $98 million in federal funding should arrive on Wednesday and construction will likely restart in a few days
Union workers held a rally outside the construction site for the Gateway Tunnel Project on Manhattan’s West Side Tuesday. More than $200 million has been frozen since October and the project was suspended earlier this month.
About 1,000 workers lost their jobs as a result of the suspension.
“This isn’t a Republican tunnel or a Democratic tunnel. This shouldn’t be a political tug of war. What we need again is certainty, not politics,” said LaBarbera.
New York and New Jersey both sued the Trump administration after it missed a deadline to restart funding. On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul joined workers in Hudson Yards, calling on Trump to let them get back to work.
“You promised to create jobs and then you lay off 1,000 people and don’t think anything of it? This is the largest infrastructure project in America today. It is essential for the safety of 200,000 daily commuters. It’s 10,000 jobs over the life of this,” said Hochul.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the $16 billion tunnel project is urgent because the current 116-year-old tunnel, which is heavily damaged from Hurricane Sandy, could fail at any moment. And when trains get stuck, he says there’s no workaround.
“Gateway is the most important public works project, infrastructure project in America right now. It’s the largest, it’s employing the most people and it’s essential because if those tunnels under the Hudson River collapse, the whole northeastern economy collapses,” said Schumer.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, saying he’s opposed to the project “because it will cost many BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more than projected or anticipated,” adding that “Gateway will likewise be financially catastrophic for the region, unless hard work and proper planning is done, NOW, to avoid insurmountable future cost overruns.”
Schumer said the remaining $98 million in federal funding should arrive on Wednesday and construction will likely restart in a few days.