Biden Travels to NYC Touting New Funding for Old Tunnel Project

Another day, another tunnel for President Joe Biden as he continues his tour promoting projects funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Job Acts that he signed into law in November 2022. On Tuesday, Biden appeared with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other elected officials in New York City, where he announced $292 million in funding that will be used to help construct a new railway tunnel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. The funds are part of a $1.2 billion mega grant package being awarded through the infrastructure bill. “This is just the beginning of finally constructing a 21st-century rail system that is long, long overdue in this country,” Biden said. “This project is critical to transforming the Northeast Corridor, increasing speeds capacity and reliability, and safety. “In addition to getting folks out of cars and onto trains, we're going to help the environment as well because all the studies show you get from point A to point B on rail faster than you can in an automobile,” Biden added. “For years, people talked about fixing this tunnel, but thanks to leadership, Chuck, and the bipartisan infrastructure law, we're finally getting this done.” The Hudson Tunnel’s two separate tubes, opened in 1910, are used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains under the Hudson River, to connect Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station with Weehawken, New Jersey. More than 450 trains carry 200,000 passenger trips on weekdays through what is the busiest rail corridor in the United States. Superstorm Sandy caused damage to both underpasses in 2012 when millions of gallons of salt water flooded the tunnel. Remnants of seawater continue to harm the concrete, steel, tracks, and other features, the White House said in a statement. “Today the tunnel requires regular, and occasional emergency maintenance that disrupts service for hundreds of thousands of riders throughout the region,” the statement noted. “Rehabilitation of the tunnel would require a full closure, which will only be possible if a second tunnel existed.” The construction is projected to cost as much as $16 billion and help to reduce congestion for New Jersey commuters and Amtrak passengers traveling through New York City. “As a U.S. senator, I commuted for 36 years. Every single solitary day the Senate was in session. I've traveled over 1,100,000 miles on Amtrak, and I can tell you all the delays. And they weren't all in Wilmington, Delaware,” Biden said. The infrastructure legislation represents the most significant investment in American roads and bridges since the interstate highway system was created, and the most significant investment in rail in America since Amtrak was established, Biden explained. New York was Biden’s second stop this week to tout the infrastructure bill. He was in Baltimore on Monday detailing improvements for Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel. At an event in Philadelphia on Friday, Biden will discuss funding for replacing toxic lead pipes and delivering clean water.