Hudson Tunnel Project Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle with Army Corps of Engineers Permit

The last major step in the federal regulatory process for the Hudson Tunnel Project has been completed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permit issuance for construction within the New Jersey Meadowlands and Hudson River, the Gateway Development Commission announced.

The Section 404/10 permit allows construction of the new tunnel within the New Jersey Meadowlands and under the Hudson River, signaling the project’s compliance with the Clean Water Act, as well the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. The permit is the last major federal approval, allowing the Hudson Tunnel Project to progress to full construction once the necessary funding is in place.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit follows the U.S. Department of Transportation’s issuance of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) in May, once again demonstrating the renewed partnership between the project’s partners and current Federal Administration in Washington. The EIS and ROD were developed in close coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a Cooperating Agency. Further, the EIS analysis was developed to meet the NEPA procedures of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The issuance of key land use permits by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – both required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Section 404/10 permit – is also an example of the strong bi-state commitment and focus towards the Hudson Tunnel Project.

Amtrak and NJ Transit were co-applicants for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permit.

The Hudson Tunnel Project includes the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and full rehabilitation of the existing North River Tunnel, more than 110 years after it began service and a decade after inundation by seawater during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.  The Hudson Tunnel Project will increase the reliability, resiliency, safety and redundancy of the rail infrastructure between New Jersey and New York to better serve the hundreds of thousands of daily commuters and intercity passengers that rely on NJ Transit and Amtrak.

-via Press Release

This article was posted on: December 1, 2021