Gateway sees itself in congressional chairs' $760B infrastructure plan.

Byline: David Hutter

The chairs of three U.S. House Committees released a framework on Wednesday for a five-year, $760 billion investment in infrastructure they believe would address America's most urgent capital investment needs.

About $329 billion would go toward modern highways and highway safety investments to fix 47,000 structurally deficient bridges. About$105 billion would increase funding for transit agencies to add new routes and provide more reliable service, encouraging viable public transit options, and fewer single-occupant cars. About $55 billion would expand the passenger rail network to give travelers a low-carbon option to travel both short- and long-distances, including to regions that lack frequent or affordable airport service.

About $30 billion would go to support airport investments to meet growing passenger demand and to advance the Federal Aviation Agency's airspace modernization efforts to make air travel safer and easier.

The nonprofit Gateway Development Corp. is leading a $14.3 billion-plus infrastructure project to replace 109-year-old Hudson River rail tunnels and the 109-year-old Portal Bridge, which spans the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny. Gateway trustees say this infrastructure project is being delayed due to the federal government not approving federal money.

"There is no more urgent infrastructure need for rebuilding this nation than the Gateway Program," Spokesman Stephen Sigmund said via email. "It replaces a 109-year-old, one-track-in, one-track-out system that threatens a vital link to 20 percent of the nation's economy, with modern, reliable, resilient transportation. That's what this nation deserves, and that's what this framework would deliver."

About 200,000 people commute through the Hudson River rail tunnels on an average day, Gateway trustees say.

Beginning in 2020, each additional day that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the U.S. Department of Transportation delays reaching a decision on the Hudson Tunnel's...