Rep. Payne Says Biden ‘Understands Importance’ Of Gateway Project

NEW JERSEY — President Joe Biden “understands the importance” of the proposed Gateway Project, another good sign that the massive construction project is back on track, according to U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. of New Jersey.

Payne, who represents the state’s 10th District and is chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, met with the president last week to discuss the nation’s infrastructure and Biden’s American Jobs Plan.

The $2.7 trillion dollar plan would repair and replace roads, rail lines, bridges and tunnels nationwide, including $80 billion to modernize rail travel on the Northeast Corridor – the site of the Gateway Tunnel proposal.

That project would build a new, two-track Hudson River rail tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan, helping to alleviate chronic delays on the aging Northeast Corridor, which serves both NJ Transit and Amtrak trains.

State officials in New Jersey and New York have been trying to secure federal funding for the Gateway Project for years, but met stiff resistance from transportation officials during the Trump Administration.

• See related article: Gateway Tunnel Back On Track Under Biden, NJ Governor Says

But according to Payne, things are looking brighter for the Gateway plan.

“I had a good meeting with President Biden to discuss the importance of the Gateway Program to area residents and East Coast travel,” Payne said. “President Biden reminded us that he was one of the first elected officials to get money for the Gateway Program, and understands the importance of completing Gateway to guarantee rail travel along the Northeast Corridor.”

Payne has reached out to Biden about the need for Gateway before, sending the then-president-elect a letter about the issue in December 2020.

New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District includes the following towns in Essex, Hudson and Union counties: Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Irvington, Maplewood, Montclair, Newark, Orange, South Orange, West Orange, Bayonne, Jersey City, Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park and Union Township.

• See related article: These Congress Members Say NJ Urgently Needs 'Gateway Tunnel'

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