Buttigieg to see Hudson tunnel mess

Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary, has agreed to tour the crumbling Hudson River rail tunnels, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday as he renewed his push for a stalled project to build a new connection.

“I explained to him that this has been a top priority for New York for more than a decade and that our future depends on it,” said Schumer, the Senate minority leader. “He was very receptive, and I was very optimistic.”

The comments came after he held a Wednesday video conference with Buttigieg, the ex-small-city mayor and unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate whom Biden has tapped to lead the Department of Transportation. Buttigieg needs Senate confirmation to take the job.

Schumer is a big backer of the estimated $11.3 billion Gateway project, which would include a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey. He, Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy say it’s needed to replace the existing rail connection, which is more than a century old, though critics argue it’s an unnecessary boondoggle and the old tunnels can be fixed.

Progress on the Gateway project came to a standstill under President Trump, whose administration downgraded the tunnels on its list of priorities.

Schumer voiced optimism that Biden and Buttigieg would bring the undertaking to fruition.

“As a former mayor, Pete will bring to the role a wealth of experience i n policies that make much needed improvements to our country’s infrastructure, rebuilding local communities and creating economic opportunity,” Schumer said i n a statement.

“I explained how advancing Gateway on day one was critical, because this administration’s delays are potentially devastating,” he added.

The Department of Transportation could jumpstart the Gateway project with a final environmental approval, according to Schumer.

“They can get Gateway moving with the flick of a pen,” Schumer said. “There’s money sitting there that’s waiting to go.”