{"id":2506,"date":"2018-03-22T16:16:31","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T20:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=2506"},"modified":"2018-03-22T16:16:31","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T20:16:31","slug":"hudson-tunnel-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/hudson-tunnel-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Hudson Tunnel Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hudson<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hudson Tunnel Project is needed to prevent a disruption of passenger service between New Jersey and New York City. Thousands of rail commuters use the exiting tunnels under the Hudson River to get to their jobs in the city and travel under the river in tunnels that are in desperate need of repair\/replacement.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the website for the tunnel project<\/a>, \u201cThe Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and NJ TRANSIT are jointly preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the Hudson Tunnel Project. The Project is intended to preserve the current functionality of the Northeast Corridor\u2019s (NEC) Hudson River rail crossing between New Jersey and New York and strengthen the resiliency of the NEC.<\/i>\u201d The statement that the project is to preserve the current functionality of the train system is an understatement and yet President Trump does not support this project. Per the New York Times<\/a>, \u201cMr. Trump has promised to spur \u201cthe biggest and boldest infrastructure investment in American history.\u201d So his opposition to an established project that is widely considered a solution to one of the nation\u2019s most critical infrastructure needs has confounded even veterans of his own party. Some fear that Mr. Trump is jeopardizing commerce along the Eastern Seaboard simply to spite Senator Charles E. Schumer, the Democratic leader from New York.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If this is true the President has to reconsider the reason he objects to using public monies. Trump has stated that he wants private funding to be used and I can not see this happening. Thomas K. Wright, president of the Regional Plan Association, which studies transportation networks in the metropolitan area said the following- \u201cThe ripple effects of the loss of this tunnel are going to be seen through goods movement, through air travel nationally and through the economic productivity of the New York region. This is the national economy we\u2019re talking about.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Per 6sqft<\/a>, the tunnel project \u201ccould potentially receive up to $541 million in\u00a0a tentative $1.3 trillion spending bill drafted by Congress on Wednesday, according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/i>\u201d Furthermore the project is \u201cconsidered one of the most critical infrastructure projects in the country, Gateway has garnered bipartisan support, especially from New Jersey and New York officials. Late last year, Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie announced a deal\u00a0to fund the two states\u2019 share<\/a>,\u00a0for a total of $5.5 billion out of the $12.7 billion needed to fix and build the tunnels. In total, the Gateway Program requires roughly $24 billion, which includes an expansion of Penn Station and new bridges in the region<\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So in conclusion it is very apparent that this tunnel project is needed and the President should not stand in its way. For without it the day one of the old tunnels fails our regional and national economies will be adversely impacted for a very long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n