Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), the highest ranking member from New York to serve on the House Transportation Committee today welcomed the announcement that the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey voted to move forward with the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel. The Tunnel is an inter-state project that has the potential to significantly reduce traffic in the region by more efficiently moving millions of tons of freight a year through New York and New Jersey.
New York City’s Economic Development Corporation will forward the tunnel’s environmental impact statement to the PA so that the authority can finish the assessment and analyze the results. The Port Authority will now also be able to spend more than $100 million set aside by the federal government two years ago to complete a study of the project.
“Today’s vote to transfer the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel to the Port Authority is a major step forward for this important project,” said Rep. Nadler. “Governors Spitzer and Corzine, and the Port Authority’s leadership – Anthony Shorris and Anthony Coscia – are showing great vision by moving the tunnel forward. The re-starting of the project is also an important first stage of Governor Spitzer’s commitment to promote rail as an alternative to trucking and to change the way we move freight in the New York area—and I applaud him for that.
By linking to the national freight network and connecting New York and New Jersey with a railway running underneath the Hudson River, a Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel could help to reduce congestion on roads and bridges, improve air quality and reduce asthma, as well as allow better movement of emergency vehicles and buses. The tunnel plan would remove one million trucks a year from the road—almost six million truck traffic miles from New York by 2025, and 2.5 million vehicle miles from the roads of Northern New Jersey.
New York City receives more than $1 trillion worth of freight per year – everything from food to furniture – mostly by trucks coming over the roads and bridges of Northern New Jersey and the five boroughs. Trucks transport around 80 percent of freight, while rail handles less than 6 percent—a fraction that is two-and-a-half times smaller than the national average.
Rep. Nadler has been a leading advocate for the construction of a rail freight tunnel since he was a member of the New York State Assembly, citing that such a tunnel, which would divert freight from trucks to rail, would improve the environment and bring more jobs to New York City. The project is also endorsed by Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, dozens of other New York elected officials, and a broad coalition of business, environmental and labor groups.
“I am confident that now that the Port Authority has taken the reins, we will see quick progress and soon complete the work that needs to be done to make this tunnel a reality,” Rep. Nadler added. “We must relieve New Yorkers of the one million trucks a year rumbling through our streets. There truly is light at the end of this tunnel.”