Construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project will be suspended at 5 p.m. unless disbursements of federal funding obligated to the project resume.
Four major procurements that comprise the remaining construction packages for the HTP are also on hold until funding is restored. The Gateway Development Commission said that pausing construction will result in the immediate loss of nearly 1,000 jobs.
An extended pause would put at risk approximately 11,000 construction jobs on current projects, as well as the 95,000 jobs and $19.6 billion in economic activity that construction is expected to generate overall.
Delaying completion of the HTP also increases the risk that the 116-year-old North River Tunnel, which the Pennsylvania Railroad opened in 1910. The GDC said the tunnel is already a leading cause of delays affecting hundreds of thousands of riders, severing the most heavily used passenger rail line in the country and costing billions of dollars in lost time and productivity.
“Today’s announcement is a major disappointment for New Jersey commuters, our business community and for our economic outlook,” NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka said in a statement.
“NJBIA has long believed the infrastructure improvements coming from this project are absolutely necessary for our long-term economic progress,” Siekerka added. “New Jersey’s competitiveness is reliant upon a modern, accommodating, and safe transportation system. The delivery of the Hudson Tunnel Project is a crucial part of that mix, not only for New Jersey, but the region.”
Siekerka urged all parties to continue working to get this project back on track.
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