Gateway Project Won't Be Derailed By Politics, Lawmakers Say

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Some of the big names behind the project to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River say politics won't derail it this time.

New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia attended a panel discussion Monday that updated the Gateway project.

They said with continued federal support, the project won't succumb to the political squabbling that killed a similar tunnel project six years ago.

Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pulled the plug on that one over fears of cost overruns. New York lawmakers weren't fully supportive of the project.

"I've lived through the politics before, I don't see it happening on this project at this time," Menendez said.

For Coscia, the project is about more than convenience -- it's about economic viability, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.

"By building the Gateway program, we can lay the foundation for explosive growth," Coscia said.

The estimated $23 billion plan includes new rail tunnels under the Hudson River to replace the century-old tunnels damaged by Superstorm Sandy, and a new connection at Penn Station.

The existing tunnels are nearly a century old and can only handle 24 trains an hour.

"We don't build this and these tunnels fail," Schumer said. "The whole economy will collapse."

Schumer said President-elect Donald Trump told him he was committed to infrastructure projects.

Christie and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have both said they were on board.

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