Work On Long-Awaited Gateway Tunnel Finally Begins In New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — When plans were first floated about building a new train tunnel from New Jersey to New York City more than a decade ago, many doubters had a common reaction to the news: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Now, they’ll be able to take a drive to North Jersey to catch a firsthand look at one of the largest public works projects the Tri-State Area has seen in decades: the Gateway Tunnel.

On Thursday, construction work on the long-awaited tunnel started on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River in North Bergen. The work will include the construction of a new roadway bridge for Tonnelle Avenue, which will allow for a connection to the new tunnel portal at the western slope of the New Jersey Palisades.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held earlier this month to mark the launch of construction in Manhattan on the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Section 3, which will guarantee the new tunnel’s connection to New York Penn Station.

Shovels have now hit ground on both sides of the river – a major milestone that drew several high-profile officials to a news conference on Thursday.

“By undertaking the most important infrastructure project in the nation, we will generate good-paying jobs, support our growing economy, and promote safer more efficient transportation for residents and visitors alike,” Gov. Phil Murphy said.

Murphy’s counterpart in New York also trumpeted the news.

“After decades of delays, the Gateway Program is finally moving forward,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

WHAT IS GATEWAY?

The Gateway Tunnel is the centerpiece of a larger construction effort dubbed the Gateway Program, which aims to take some pressure off one of the most notorious railway chokeholds in the nation: the Northeast Corridor.

Learn more about the project here.

The new tunnel is especially crucial to the region, as the existing North River Tunnel serving Penn Station is more than 110-years-old and was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. While the tunnel has been repaired frequently, its age and damaged condition present reliability concerns for more than 200,000 people who travel through the tunnel on more than 400 trains every weekday.

If the existing tunnel were to shut down for just one day, it would cost the United States more than $100 million, experts have noted. See Related: Hudson River Tunnel Shutdown Would Devastate Local Families, Report Says

In addition to building a new train tunnel from New Jersey to New York, the plan also includes building new Portal North and South Bridges over the Hackensack River in New Jersey, as well as making several other smaller upgrades between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station.

The nonprofit Regional Plan Association pointed out in an April report that paying for the Gateway Program is no small feat. Learn more about how the project is being funded here.

The overall cost of the Gateway Program has risen to roughly $17.18 billion according to a recent White House fact sheet, significantly higher than earlier estimates of $16 billion. However, the price tag is well worth it, supporters say, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited Newark and New York City in 2021 to express his support for the project.

The Gateway Program was greenlighted during the administration of former President Barack Obama. It hit a brick wall when Donald Trump took office. But it has picked up steam again since Biden entered the White House, and has seen several key milestones since then.

Last summer, the governors of New York and New Jersey signed a written agreement that guarantees a 50-50 split when it comes to funding Gateway. Read More: NY/NJ Governors Sign Agreement To Split Cost Of Gateway Tunnel

Gov. Murphy and Gov. Hochul said they would work to “aggressively” chase more federal funding through President Joe Biden's landmark infrastructure package. Read More: Here's What NJ Will Get From $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Those efforts appear to have been paying off. In the past year, several major infusions of federal dollars for the Gateway Program have been announced.

• See Related: Joe Biden Says Big Bucks Are Coming For Gateway Tunnel In NJ, NY
• See Related: Feds Pledge Nearly $7 Billion For 'Gateway' Train Tunnel Between NJ, NY
• See Related: Feds Chip In More Money For Gateway Train Tunnel; NJ Lawmakers Cheer

Work on the other components of the Gateway Program have seen “significant” progress in recent months, according to a joint statement from Amtrak and the Gateway Development Commission (GDC).

That progress includes construction of the new Portal North Bridge, which recently passed the 35 percent completion mark. Read More: There’s Good News For One Of NJ's Most Hated Bridges

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