Move NY&NJ

Move NY&NJ Hails Re-Launch of Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project

Thousands of Jobs, Reduced Congestion, & Security Benefits for the Region

November 13, 2008

Move NY & NJ -- a broad coalition of leaders from the region's business, labor and environmental communities - today hailed the Port Authority of NY & NJ, with support from the New York State, New Jersey, and New York City Departments of Transportation, for restarting the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project to address the critical issue of rail freight in the metropolitan region. At a meeting today at the Port Authority's headquarters, PANYNJ Executive Director Chris Ward, NYSDOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn, NJDOT, Director of Multimodal Services, Robert Miller, NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn, and other stakeholders met to renew the project.

According to Jim Tripp, General Counsel of the Environmental Defense Fund and Move NY&NJ Co-Chair, "The region faces a challenging freight movement future - freight volumes are projected to increase more than 70% by 2025 - and significant improvements in the freight rail system are essential to address the goals of efficient freight mobility, improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions. With this effort by the Port Authority, we are now back on track to address this problem and bring significant environmental, economic and security benefits to the entire New York metropolitan region."

Representatives from the Port Authority briefed agency stakeholders on existing constraints within the region's freight rail system and their plan for moving forward. They will complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project, including updated market data, a full public review project that includes a thorough dialogue with communities throughout the region. At the same time, they will also make a set of interim investments totaling $80 million to improve freight movement in the region while a more comprehensive solution is identified. These investments include the purchase of the New York & New Jersey Rail Road and clearance improvements along freight lines in New York. Funding for the improvements and the project was obtained by Congressman Jerrold Nadler in the 2005 federal transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act, A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

The centerpiece of the project is the construction of the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel, which would be built under New York Harbor, to link the nation's rail system ending in New Jersey, with existing rail lines east of the Hudson. The Tunnel, coupled with other major improvements in the region's freight rail system, will allow more goods to move by rail rather than truck, and offers a safer, more efficient, sustainable way to move goods into and out of the New York metropolitan area. The Tunnel will also improve the region's air quality by reducing highway congestion and truck emissions.

"The Cross Harbor Tunnel will help our region survive and emerge from these tough economic times while setting the region up to receive substantial financial benefits well into the future. The nation is realizing that the future for our economy lies in creating jobs that support sustainability and creating more than 6,000 construction jobs and tens of thousands of long term jobs makes the Tunnel a model green job initiative. We are glad to learn that in the meantime, the Port will move forward to make job-creating investments right now, when our economy so desperately needs it", said Ed Ott, Executive Director of the NYC Central Labor Council and Move NY&NJ Co-Chair.

Currently, 80 percent of freight coming into New York City and Long Island is carried by truck, while less than 2 percent travels by rail. The overwhelming majority (90%) of the truck traffic entering the East of Hudson region - 30,000 trucks per day - comes over the George Washington Bridge, a chokepoint that backs up traffic throughout New Jersey and the Cross-Bronx Expressway, burdens surrounding communities with diesel pollution, and slows vital deliveries, straining our economy.

"The Tunnel is truly a project of regional benefit that will serve New Jersey's needs as much as New York's. New Jersey will see massive traffic reductions on the Turnpike, Routes 1 and 9 and of course at the bridges, which will help us all breathe easier while lowering the costs of doing business and supporting the state's vital warehouse and manufacturing sector. The Port Authority is exactly the right agency to move this bi-state initiative forward." said Phil Beachem of the New Jersey Alliance for Action.

The interim investments are already proceeding. PANYNJ purchased the New York & New Jersey Rail Road and their entire operation in Greenville, Jersey City in September and additional investments will be made in the coming months. The EIS is anticipated to take 18 months, including a full public review process with meetings throughout the region. The Port Authority has committed to a robust public dialogue with communities that will be affected by the project, helping to identify and quantify the benefits for communities that will see improved air quality and reduced asthma rates, and developing mitigation and community improvement strategies for those areas where intermodal facilities and other infrastructure would be located.

The next major reauthorization of the federal transportation/infrastructure bill is anticipated in 2010. Congressman Nadler, a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and its lead Democratic member in the Northeast, is committed to securing resources to address the region's freight movement needs.

"This is an exciting moment for the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel. We're confident that the Port Authority's study will confirm and further document the unparalleled benefits that building the tunnel will bring to the region through economic development, air quality improvement, traffic reduction and increased security," said Dan Perkins of the Long Island Association and Move NY&NJ Co-Chair.