Breakthrough on Hudson Tunnel
15 April 2021In what must be seen as a green light for the construction of the long-awaited tunnel beneath the Hudson River in New York, the Biden administration has given the go-ahead for a June 2021 completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision for the project.
The move follows Dept of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg laying out the administration’s infrastructure priorities in March, which emphasised that the now nearly US$12bn tunnel project was a national priority. This will come as a relief to long-suffering New Jersey commuters using the railway to get into New York City and comes after years of stalling. President Trump refused to allow federal funding for the project, thereby blocking a reported deal struck between the governors of New York and New Jersey to equally co-finance the project. The three years’ delay in issuing the FEIS is reported to have added another US$300m to the overall project cost.
Fixing American infrastructure is seen by the Biden administration as part of a coordinated national recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, it had reversed Trump administration policy by raising the project’s rating and so making it eligible for federal funding.
The Hudson Tunnel Project will provide a new, subfluvial rail tunnel to allow better commuter access between New Jersey and Manhattan. It forms part of Phase 1B of the Gateway Programme, a massive rail improvement scheme for a key section of the country’s Northeast Corridor – the most heavily used of US passenger rail lines. When completed, the proposed tunnel will complement the existing 110-year-old twin-tubed North River Tunnel which suffered extensive damage following Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
