Good morning. It's Thursday. Today we'll look at the nuts and bolts of the Hudson River tunnel project that just cleared a major hurdle, and why it's so important to New York, New Jersey and even the country. And we'll dig into the money and transparency problems the city comptroller just revealed in New York's ferry system. |
 | | Hans Pennink/Associated Press, Seth Wenig/Associated Press |
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It was big news this week when the governors of New York and New Jersey agreed to split their share of the initial $14 billion cost of the Gateway project, which aims to double the capacity of trains running under the Hudson River. To politics-watchers, it was a breakthrough in one of those yearslong wrangles that weigh down so many ambitions for the region. |
But why does it matter to the rest of us? I'd lost track, so I asked my Times colleague Patrick McGeehan, who's followed the story. |
First of all, what even is the Gateway Project? |
Gateway's main purpose is to expand capacity for trains between New York City and New Jersey, primarily for commuters. The centerpiece is to dig two single-track tunnels — one going in, one going out, to match the existing pair, which are 112 years old. |
In order to do that, though, things have to happen on both sides of the river. In New Jersey, they need to lay some new tracks and replace the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River. It's a swinging drawbridge, and it keeps getting stuck when they open it. They have to hammer it back into place with a sledgehammer. |
Wow. Is that a common cause of delays? |
The words that New Jersey commuters don't want to hear are "the Portal Bridge." There's no good news about the Portal Bridge. (Except for one thing: That work has actually started.) |
On the New York side, Penn Station needs to be expanded to handle more trains. |
Wait, didn't we just redo Penn Station? |
So Gateway is obviously great for commuters from New Jersey. What's in it for us New Yorkers? |
Expanding Penn Station adds more options for transit in and around New York City. Metro North trains, which run up the Hudson and along Long Island Sound through Westchester to Connecticut, could connect to Penn. Some trains could some even run all the way through, from Long Island to New Jersey and back. |
You could make all the trains go to all the places people want to go, is another way to put it. Instead of the fragmented system we have now, where Metro North, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road don't connect or even converge on a single hub. |
Does it help people who never take trains? |
More people will be able to get into New York to work, shop, go to the theater and spend money. That contributes to the city economy, even if many riders live outside. |
And they won't be driving their cars in — that's key for improving our air and unclogging our streets and responding to the climate crisis, right? |
Yes. The trains we have even now are considerably greener than the alternatives. But given how many snags there could still be, buses may be electrified before Gateway gets built! |
So why do people think this time Gateway could really happen? |
The key difference right now is the Biden administration loves infrastructure and Biden likes trains — Amtrak Joe — so the audience in Washington is more receptive than any time in the last 20 years. It's all aligned right now for getting the federal funding they need — many billions. (The total estimated cost is $30 billion.) |
The danger is, it looks like Democrats may not be in control after December. To put it mildly, there isn't broad support among Republicans, especially from the middle of the country, for a project that's (a) trains and (b) in New York. |
Can't they say it's in New Jersey? Would that work? |
It's still a blue state project and an expensive one. But the Biden administration has lots of money in the infrastructure bill that could go to Gateway directly or through Amtrak. They could get the money committed this year. But they've got to move fast. |
In your story, you said this project has national significance. Why? |
After they started planning, the existing tunnels were flooded by Hurricane Sandy. They're constantly working piecemeal to fix lingering problems and shore the tunnels up generally. It's one reason for delays. |
If there's no new tunnels built, eventually one might need to be fully closed for repairs. That would mean one train at a time, taking turns going in opposite directions. That would slow down the whole East Coast transportation system significantly. |
But with Gateway, once the new tunnels are in, they could close the old ones for full repairs and eventually have four working tunnels. |
Eight years after construction starts. If the money comes this year, that would be 2032. |
Prepare for a chance of light rain during the day and evening. Temperatures will be in the high 70s, dropping to around 70 at night. |
In effect until Saturday (Eid al-Adha). |
 | | Rachel Mummey for The New York Times |
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NYC Ferry: Scenic rides, messy bookkeeping |
 | | J. David Ake/Associated Press |
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Brad Lander, the New York city comptroller, couldn't help himself. Before making his announcement about NYC Ferry, the system that runs ferries in the East and Hudson Rivers and to Rockaway in Queens, he quoted at length from "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." In the poem, Walt Whitman, bard of the metropolis, tells of a bustling 19th-waterborne commute that sounds in spirit just like today's. |
Visions of New York restoring the harbor, which first made it rich and powerful, to a central place in its citizens' lives help explain the attraction of a revamped ferry system. It appealed especially to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who lavished attention and money on the project. |
But Mr. Lander, my colleague Ana Ley reports, was on the pier to declare that the vision had gone, in part, awry. His 50-page audit found that the semi-independent city agency in charge of the ferry program, the Economic Development Corporation, failed to report nearly a quarter-billion dollars in costs. |
The report cites record-keeping problems, as well as excessive payments to, and insufficient oversight of, Hornblower, the private company that operates the ferries. |
Fred D'Ascoli, the E.D.C.'s chief financial officer, said in a letter that any problems should be remedied, but that the report has misconstrued some information. |
The ferry system has been criticized for operating with a much higher subsidy per ride than other public transit, and for failing to integrate with subway and bus systems or serve many low-income riders. But Mr. Lander cited more basic problems, like the E.D.C.'s overpaying Hornblower for one boat by $2.8 million and never asking for a refund. |
Mr. de Blasio said in a statement: "The ferry system's continuation and growth is vital for New York City. We need more affordable, accessible transit options connecting the five boroughs now more than ever." |
I was walking near my home on the Lower East Side when I passed a delivery person pushing a large cart stacked with packages. |
There was a wireless speaker hanging from the cart, and it was blasting Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." |
Just before the chorus came around, I locked eyes with the delivery person. |
"Take my hand and we'll make it I swear," we both belted out. |
A smile and a heartbeat later we were no longer strangers but friends passing on the sidewalk. |
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — A.B. |
| Melissa Guerrero, Ashley Shannon Wu and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. |
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