Gov. Phil Murphy called on President Donald Trump to fund the Gateway Tunnel after the legislature sent a bill creating a bi-state commission to oversee the project to his desk.
“The Gateway Program is the most urgently needed infrastructure project in the nation, with profound ramifications for our regional and national economies,” Murphy said. “I continue to call on President Trump and the United States Department of Transportation to join with us as full partners, so we can get Gateway moving, strengthen our region, and avert a transportation catastrophe.”
The commission, a joint effort between New York and New Jersey, would coordinate agencies working on Gateway and obtain funds needed for the same.
It cleared the both chambers of the legislature with bipartisan support Thursday.
“While the federal government continues to stall funding for the Gateway Project, New Jersey is taking action to invest in infrastructure, keep commuters safe and build our national economy,” Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said. “We will no longer sit idly by waiting for the Trump administration to support a project that affects the lives of thousands of residents along the East coast.”
In the Assembly, the bill passed 76-0.
It won 36 affirmative votes in the upper chamber, where a single member, State Sen. Michael Doherty, voted against the bill.
“The efforts of the New Jersey and New York Legislatures to fully stand up a bi-state commission to oversee the Gateway Program is just the first step toward ensuring its timely and efficient delivery, and I thank our legislative partners for their leadership in seeing this milestone through,” Murphy said. “New Jersey’s commitment to Gateway is clear. Now it’s time to take action.”