Former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri has been nominated to head the Gateway Development Commission at a time when the long-stalled bistate project appears poised to move forward.
"I think this is exactly the right guy, for the right moment, for the right position," said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who announced the nomination Friday with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul at a Regional Plan Association event in New York.
“We needed to find a leader who is battle-tested, who knows how to get his hands on the money [and] get the resources out of Washington,” Hochul said. “And so, in the spirit of a bi-state collaboration, we're picking a New Jersey guy.”
The bistate agency oversees the $12.7 billion project for new and renovated rail infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor, which advocates call the most urgent infrastructure project in the U.S. The nomination comes as the states try to jumpstart the long-stalled project.
The board will consider the nomination at an upcoming meeting, a spokesperson said, calling the nomination "a vital step in moving the project forward."
In March, President Joe Biden
Kolluri, who currently serves as the CEO of nonprofit group Camden Community Partnership, served as New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner from 2006-2008.
“There is a clear and present opportunity and desire among federal, state, and bistate partners to advance the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Gateway Program,” Kolluri said in a statement. “Should my candidacy be approved by the commissioners, I commit to being singularly focused on ensuring that this collaborative effort results in HTP’s fruition.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg praised the nomination. “Kris Kolluri’s leadership and experience with important infrastructure projects will help him steer this organization at this crucial time. We look forward to working with Kris and the Gateway Development Commission, along with New York, New Jersey, the Port Authority, NJ TRANSIT, and Amtrak to deliver this urgently needed project of national significance.”
The work is a joint undertaking among the Gateway Planning Development Corp., Amtrak, NJTransit, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the states of New York and New Jersey. It will build a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River to connect the Bergen Palisades in New Jersey to Penn Station in New York City. The project also includes the full rehabilitation of the existing North River tunnel, which is 111 years old and was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the replacement of the Portal Bridge in Secaucus.
The $12.3 billion price tag includes $10.1 billion for the new tunnel and $2.2 billion for the existing tunnel's rehab.
Financing includes the $5.6 billion of federal funds and $6 billion from the local partners, including the states of New York and New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Amtrak has committed to up to $1.4 billion.
