On December 29, Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Jane Williams, wrongly stated that there is no agreement between the federal government and state governments to fund the Gateway Project, a multi-year project to modernize transportation infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor.  Representatives Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) co-led a bipartisan, bistate letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao calling for Congress and the Trump Administration to finally dedicate spending to infrastructure projects and get to work on the Gateway Project. Reps. Payne, Jr., and Nadler represent two of the most infrastructure-dense districts in the country and have led efforts in Congress to make Gateway a reality. 

“Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Jane Williams’ claims that Gateway is merely a project of local concern and that there is no agreement for the federal government to cover half of its cost are patently false,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10). “New Jersey and New York have committed over $5 billion to make the Gateway Project a reality. It’s time for Washington to uphold its end of the bargain.”

“The Gateway Project is the most important transportation infrastructure project in the country,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-10). “It’s a critical and vital national project, and if we don’t built this project and repair the century old tunnels underneath the Hudson, then we risk disrupting up to 75 percent of all train traffic from west of the Hudson. That’s 75 percent of all Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers. The States of New York and New Jersey have stepped up and committed to funding $5 billion for this project – that’s more than 50 percent of its cost. It’s time that the federal government honor its commitment and provide the funding for this national project.”

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