The statements were coming fast and furiously Tuesday. From Gov. Mikie Sherrill. From Congressman Josh Gottheimer. From Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
All were urging President Donald Trump to restore funding to the Gateway Tunnel Project, the once-in-a-100-years public works project that will be a key to commerce in the New York City metro region for the next 100 years.
It’s unclear if the statements will do any good.
All three stressed that the funding for the $16 billion project already has been approved in a bi-partisan way — and that killing them, will kill nearly 100,000 jobs and $20 billion in economic activity.
The project has been running on preapproved funding since the government shutdown last fall led to a halt in making further funds available.
On Tuesday, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Gateway Development Corporation, it was confirmed that the project will run out of money on Feb. 6, resulting in the immediate layoffs of thousands, if the funding is not restored.
Sherrill, in a statement, was dismayed.
“The president’s refusal to fund the Gateway Tunnel project is not only an illegal attack on New Jersey but also shows a reckless disregard for our economy and the livelihoods of working families,” she said. “New Jersey and New York make up the most powerful economic region in the world, and this is the most urgent and consequential infrastructure project in the country.”
Gottheimer, speaking at the GDC meeting, said the urgency cannot be overstated.
“I want to be very direct about what we’re facing here,” he said. “This transportation crisis is a five-alarm fire, nothing short of that.”
Gottheimer couldn’t understand why the funding issue is still an issue, noting the entirety of the funding already has been approved.
“It’s already being built,” he said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes at site after site, five of them, many of them running, working around the clock with boring machines ready to roll.
“Yet, seemingly for no apparent reason, the Trump administration has stopped it in its tracks. Like many of us, I just don’t get it.”
Schumer said it’s all on the president.
“All Trump has to do is pick up the phone and tell the Secretary of Transportation to lift his hold and to continue funding gateway and the project can move forward,” he said at the GDC meeting. “It’s that simple. The money is already in place.”
Gottheimer said there are no other options.
“The bottom line is this: You can’t have a first-rate state like Jersey and New York with second-class infrastructure,” he said. “The Gateway project is not optional. It’s not a luxury. It’s essential insurance against economic disruption and a foundational investment in America’s future. We have to finish what we started.
“We can’t let partisan games get in the way of years of planning, of bipartisan commitment and construction progress.”
Sherrill said the state is not giving up the fight.
“New Jersey will fight tooth and nail for our hard-earned tax dollars and this essential project that will make commutes easier and improve quality of life for residents in the Garden State,” she said.
Will any of this matter?
It’s unclear. Trying to predict the moves of the president is more difficult than digging a tunnel under the Hudson.
