N.Y. big – Feds’ tunnel chop is act of sabotage

NEW YORK’S budget director shot back at the Trump administration Sunday, insisting the federal government should pay for half of the $13 billion project to build a much-needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River.

Robert Mujica maintains that the 50/50 deal — originally negotiated with the Obama administration — remains in place for the critical Gateway Tunnel project. The pact calls for the federal government to foot half the bill with New York, New Jersey and the Port Authority covering the rest.

Mujica said in a letter Sunday to the deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration that the 50/50 deal was discussed at a meeting last August with President Trump, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the New York and New Jersey governors and a congressional delegation.

“The Gateway Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey is critical to the long-term vitality of the entire Northeast region and, as a result of significant damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, is now considered the nation’s most urgent major infrastructure project,” Mujica wrote.

Jane Williams, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, has insisted there was no agreement in place. Such a robust federal investment is higher than past “megaprojects” and would deplete the existing grant program, Williams wrote in a Friday letter that stunned New York and New Jersey officials.

Mujica asserts that the project is critical to the gross domestic product of the entire country.

“This project does not simply represent a local priority, but rather connects the entire Northeast Corridor,” Mujica wrote.