After touring the century-old rail tunnels that connect New Jersey to New York City on Monday, Senate President Steve Sweeney urged Governor Christie to act on a funding proposal for the Gateway tunnel that takes advantage of federal matching funds and low-interest loans.

Getting a firsthand view of the deteriorating conditions of the trans-Hudson tunnels that have become plagued with shutdowns, delays and equipment failures, Senator Sweeney said “there are no good excuses” for the governor not to work with Amtrak, federal transportation officials and the Port Authority to reach agreement on the plan suggested by Amtrak Vice President Stephen Gardner that would make use of an 80/20, federal/local funding split.

“We should take advantage of this opportunity to build the Gateway tunnel with an advantageous funding plan that makes use of federal dollars and low-interest loans,” said Senator Sweeney. “This is a regional priority that should have the Port Authority taking responsibility for the 20 percent in matching funds.”

The governor is scheduled to meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox, members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation and others on Tuesday to discuss the proposal that would underwrite the project.

“Everyone needs to get serious about this,” said Senator Sweeney. “The recent equipment failures, breakdowns and delays should serve as warnings. Conditions will only get worse with the risk of more problems increasing with time. The tunnel connections are critical for commuters and commerce. We need to get it built.”

Hosted by Amtrak officials, Senator Sweeney toured both tunnels, inspected the switching mechanics and the electrical substation that recently failed, triggering extensive delays for the heavily-used tunnels.

(Attached photo: Steve Gardner, Executive Vice President, NEC Business Development, Amtrak, Chris Maag, Senate President Sweeney, Drew Galloway, Chief NEC Planning & Performance, Amtrak.)

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