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Dear Gentlemen:
The Gateway Tunnel presents a unique opportunity for our region to catch up with the nation in
the share of our freight shipped by rail. A new freight-capable tunnel beneath the Hudson River
would improve the quality of our air, the congestion and safety of our roads, the resilience of our
infrastructure and our prospects for job growth. We therefore respectfully request that you
incorporate mixed freight and passenger rail operations into the scope of the project.
Trucks currently move more than 98% of freight in New York City. Our overreliance on truck
traffic makes our air harder to breathe and our streets more difficult to navigate. It overburdens
our infrastructure and challenges our businesses ability to grow in place and create jobs
locally. Now, with the first new Hudson River rail tunnel in more than a century visible on the
horizon, we have never had a better occasion to fix an age old problem, one which has only
worsened over time.
While government at all levels has tried mightily to construct a freight rail tunnel between New
York and New Jersey at so many points over nearly one hundred years, none of those efforts
have come to fruition. Meanwhile, traffic congestion has worsened, existing passenger rail
tunnels have reached and exceeded their design capacity, and flooding from Superstorm Sandy
now requires that those tunnels be closed for repairs, finally necessitating the construction of
new interstate rail infrastructure. Given the rarity with which such enormous and complex
projects are undertaken, it is critical that we take full advantage of the possibility now before us;
we do not anticipate seeing it again in our lifetimes.
We cannot afford to miss this chance to maximize the value of the Gateway Tunnel to the entire
New York/New Jersey/Connecticut region by expanding the scope of the project to include
freight operations. Shifting truck traffic onto trains will mean cleaner air for urban
neighborhoods throughout the tristate area; shorter, smoother rides on safer streets for drivers,
bicyclists and pedestrians; longer lived infrastructure for public agencies and taxpayers; and
manufacturing job growth, which will aid local industry while combatting inequality. Operating
freight trains through the Gateway Tunnel could even help defray the projects daunting costs.
We urge you to seize this watershed moment for our economy and environment.
Sincerely,
David G. Greenfield
NYC Council, 44th District
Simcha Felder
NYS Senate, 17th District
Martin J. Golden
NYS Senate, 22nd District
Diane J. Savino
NYS Senate, 23rd District
Helene E. Weinstein
NYS Assembly, 41st District
James F. Brennan
NYS Assembly, 44th District
Dov Hikind
NYS Assembly, 48th District
Ben Kallos
NYC Council, 5th District
Peter Koo
NYC Council, 20th District
Vincent J. Gentile
NYC Council, 43rd District
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