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mahatmakanejeeves

(60,969 posts)
Wed Feb 14, 2018, 12:45 PM Feb 2018

Trump administration deals another blow to Gateway tunnel project

Hat tip, Trainorders: Passenger Trains > Ron Batory confirmed as FRA Administrator

Trump administration deals another blow to Gateway tunnel project
By RYAN HUTCHINS and DANA RUBINSTEIN 02/13/2018 08:18 PM EST

Federal transportation officials have dealt another blow to the Gateway rail tunnel and other components of the massive infrastructure project, assigning the work a new rating that further jeopardizes the chances of winning grant money from Washington.

In an annual funding report sent to Congress on Monday for its Capital Investment Grants Program, the Federal Transit Administration said it had issued a “Medium-Low” rating to the proposed $13 billion Hudson River tunnel, the second-lowest on a five-point scale. It was the first time the grant application had received a formal rating.

The FTA also reduced the rating of the Portal Bridge North project — a bridge replacement that would fix one of the single-greatest bottlenecks on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor — from “Medium-High” to “Medium-Low.”

Those involved in the Gateway Program said the change was likely to put chances of receiving federal funding under the New Starts program in serious jeopardy.
....

Lauren Gardner contributed to this report.
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