Legislation sponsored by Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick, creating a bi-state commission to secure funding to complete the Gateway Program, was signed into law today.
“Hundreds of thousands of commuters are relying on us to get this done,” said Bramnick (R-Union), a sponsor of A5570. “The Gateway tunnel is absolutely necessary. This project has national significance and extensive economic impact on the region.”
The commission, which would function as a bi-state agency like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, would oversee the planning, funding and construction of projects related to the Gateway access plan. Any costs not covered by the federal government will be split equally between New Jersey and New York.
Considered the most crucial infrastructure project in the nation, the Gateway Program would expand service along the Northeast Corridor by building a double-track tunnel under the Hudson River, fixing the two existing tunnels, reconstructing the Portal Bridge and replacing the Sawtooth Bridge, among other improvements.