Murphy: Gateway Program Could Fix Portal Bridge Breakdowns

If you were one of the many New Jersey train commuters late to work on Friday because of the malfunctioning Portal Bridge, you can thank the White House and Republican leadership in Congress, Governor Phil Murphy says.

That’s because the Trump Administration is holding up the “nation’s most pressing and long-overdue infrastructure project,” otherwise known as the Gateway Program, Murphy claimed Friday in a press statement.

“This morning, thousands of New Jersey commuters were late for work and needlessly stuck on trains due to early morning malfunctions involving the opening of the century-old Portal Bridge,” Murphy said. “This was completely unacceptable and most importantly, avoidable.”

The governor was referring to the temporary suspension of NJ Transit trains between Newark and New York Penn Station, which took place when a bridge over the Hackensack river got stuck open Friday morning.

The Portal Bridge, which is operated by Amtrak, is a well-known bane to travelers in the area. In January, all trains from Penn Station to New Jersey were temporarily canceled after it got stuck.

• See related article: NJ Transit Service Into NYC Hampered By Stuck Bridge
• See related article: NJ Transit Suspends Penn Station Trains, Bridge 'Stuck Open'

Murphy linked the Portal Bridge malfunction to the Gateway Program, a massive, proposed public works project that would tackle a notorious bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor, the most heavily used passenger rail line in the nation.

The effort includes two major projects, according to the Gateway Program Development Corporation:

• Portal North Bridge Project – The Portal North Bridge Project will replace the current, functionally obsolete Portal Bridge – a 106-year-old two-track, railroad swing bridge spanning the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny, New Jersey – with a new, high-level, two-track fixed span. The new bridge will increase rail transit capacity by an estimated 11%, and significantly improve service reliability by replacing the movable span, which interrupts operations and is prone to mechanical failures, and is the current cause of frequent delays.
• Hudson Tunnel Project – This aspect includes the construction of a new two-track Hudson River rail tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan that will directly serve PSNY; and the rehabilitation of the 106-year old, existing North River Tunnel, which incurred serious damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

New Jersey and New York officials thought they had a deal with federal officials to fund the Hudson Tunnel project, with the two states kicking in for half and the federal government paying for the rest with loans. However, the Trump Administration and the Federal Transit Administration have effectively put the kibosh on the alleged funding plan, stating that no such deal ever existed.

• See related article: Trump Wants To Squash Gateway Tunnel, High-Ranking Official Says
• See related article: $13B Gateway Tunnel In Jeopardy; Feds Trash Obama-Era Deal

On Friday, Murphy laid into the feds for their alleged backpedaling on the deal.

“New Jersey and New York have already held up our sides of the bargain by committing to fund our fair share,” the governor said. “But, time and again, the White House and Republican leadership in Congress have failed to understand the critical need for this project to be fully funded. This morning is an example of what happens to commuters and the economy when the federal government is missing in action.”

Murphy commended several local politicians – both Democrat and Republican – for “fighting tooth and nail” to secure funding for the Gateway Program.

“It’s now time for the federal government to step in and end their groundless opposition to a project critical to over 50 million Americans who depend on reliable infrastructure to go about their daily lives,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (District 3) also blasted Friday’s Portal Bridge malfunction and echoed support for the Gateway Program, calling it “further proof that leaders across all levels of government must come together” for the infrastructure project.

“This project is of critical importance to our nation's economy and would create thousands of jobs for the highly skilled men and women in the building and construction trades,” MacArthur said. “Completing the Gateway Tunnel project would be a major win for our entire nation and I will continue to work across the aisle to help make it happen.”

• See related article: When New Jersey Dems, GOP Agree (Going Beyond Blue And Red)

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (District 11), the soon-to-retire chair of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, has also lent strong support for the Gateway Program.

“I believe it is unrealistic for the administration to expect the most important infrastructure project in the country to move forward without full participation and investment from the FTA and Department of Transportation,” Frelinghuysen said in January.

• See related article: Frelinghuysen Blasts Feds, Says Gateway Tunnel Is Imperative

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File Photo: Hoboken Terminal, 2017 (Eric Kiefer)