Gateway Rail Tunnel Project: New Animated Video Highlights Need to Expedite Approval

Common Good has recently released a three-minute animated video highlighting the need to expedite approval of the proposed Gateway Rail Tunnel Project under the Hudson River. The video – “Transportation Armageddon” – was created for Common Good by Alex Marino, a former writer for “The Daily Show.” It incorporates his humor and perspective in discussing a crucial issue: the need to prevent unnecessary financial and environmental costs from delay of the Project. A recent report by Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard – “Billions for Red Tape: Focusing on the Approval Process for the Gateway Rail Tunnel Project” – revealed that improved permitting for the Project could save taxpayers billions and avoid significant environmental harm.

The Gateway Rail Tunnel Project is a $24 billion infrastructure plan to alleviate a critical bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor rail line (Washington, DC to Boston). It will create two new tunnels between New Jersey and Penn Station in New York City, rebuild capacity on the New Jersey approaches to the Hudson, and add platform and station capacity within Penn Station. The existing rail connection between New Jersey and Penn Station consists of a pair of 105-year-old tunnels just south of the Lincoln Tunnel. These rail tunnels, which serve both Amtrak and NJ Transit trains, were already in need of repair when they were badly damaged in 2012 by millions of gallons of seawater from Superstorm Sandy.

With a project the size of Gateway, time is not just money, but lots of money. As set forth in the report, when compared to an 18-month process to finish review and permitting, a three-year permitting timetable would increase taxpayer cost of the project by over $3 billion, and a further two-year delay would increase costs by almost $10 billion. Another two years would raise costs by more than $13 billion. The environmental consequences would also be enormous, if the existing tunnels have to be closed for safety reasons before the new tunnels are completed.

The video is part of a national bipartisan campaign to fix broken government called “Who’s in charge around here?” The campaign, launched on August 1st, is co-chaired by former Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) and Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard. It has already been endorsed by former Governors Arne Carlson (R-MN), Mitch Daniels (R-IN), and Tom Kean (R-NJ) and by former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY).

“This captivating video highlights the public’s stake in expediting the Gateway Project,” said Philip K. Howard. “We need to be vigilant to avoid delay in the Project – and the unnecessary costs and environmental damage that delay will produce.”

The report is available at www.commongood.org.