Senators Booker, Schumer renew push for Gateway Tunnel project

<p>The start of Amtrak&rsquo;s track repairs at New York&rsquo;s Penn Station on Monday prompted two senators to renew the push for the Gateway Tunnel project.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 10, 2017, 4:20 PM

Updated 2,489 days ago

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The start of Amtrak’s track repairs at New York’s Penn Station on Monday prompted two senators to renew the push for the Gateway Tunnel project.
Calling the project the “biggest public works project in all of America,” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer expressed concern that the Trump administration is not committing to it verbally or financially.
President Donald Trump last week cut federal funds and took his name off the project for what his administration called “technical reasons.”
The senators said Trump has pulled his name from the Gateway Development Project and has not committed any resources.
“This pain people are feeling right now is a mere rainstorm compared to the tsunami that people will feel if these rail tunnels have to be shut down to be repaired,” Booker said.
Schumer added that had Gov. Chris Christie not pulled funds 10 years ago, the Gateway project's completed tunnels would have been just a year away.
“This is the first test if President Trump will put money where his mouth is and fund the infrastructure here in New York and throughout America,” Schumer said.
Both senators said the longer Trump waits, the more costly the project will become. Currently, its cost is estimated to be $11.1 billion.


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