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Today marks a major milestone on the long-delayed Hudson River Tunnel project that will connect New Jersey and New York by rail. A new grant from the federal government totaling $3.8 billion is expected to be announced today by New York Senator Chuck Schumer.
The project calls for a new two-track rail tunnel to be constructed under the Hudson River, expanding the existing connection between New Jersey and New York City that was damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. It comes with an estimated price tag of some $16 billion, and construction is expected to take a decade.
The Hudson River tunnels are part of the larger Gateway Program that seeks to expand commuter rail services and increase inter-city rail capacity in the Northeast Corridor that connects Boston in the north to Washington, DC and Virginia in the south. Work is already underway on the Portal Bridge North which spans the Hackensack River to replace the problematic existing structure that was originally opened in 1910. Further phases of the Gateway project include Portal Bridge South, replacement or rehabilitation of the Sawtooth and Dock bridges, an expansion of Penn Station New York, and more.