Joint Statement from Senator Gopal, Assemblywoman Donlon, and Assemblywoman Peterpaul on the Gateway Tunnel Project Funding Restoration

Assemblywomen Luanne Peterpaul & Margie Donlon and State Senator Vin Gopal

Our office is pleased to see that the efforts of Governor Sherrill and Attorney General Davenport to restore funding to the Gateway Tunnel Project have been met with success. By court order, the federal government will be required to release more than $200 million in illegally frozen funds, already congressionally approved, for the new Hudson River tunnel. This massive infrastructure project is vital for our state and region’s economic growth, serving millions of commuting New Jerseyans and New Yorkers with enhanced efficiency and improved safety.

President Trump reportedly demanded that major infrastructure hubs—specifically Penn Station and Dulles International Airport—be renamed after him to unfreeze the funding. This demand delayed the project, impacting over 1,000 workers and labor union members, some of whom live in Monmouth County.

This is one of the nation’s busiest commuter rail lines. A continued disruption or incompletion of this project would cost New Jersey thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in economic activity, and see continued strain on weakened infrastructure. Thank you GovernorSherrill and Attorney General Davenport for your quick and decisive actions to keep this project on track.

Senator Vin Gopal, a lifelong resident of Monmouth County elected in 2018, serves as Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Assemblywoman Dr. Margie Donlon, a practicing physician, is Vice Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and serves on the Tourism, Gaming & the Arts Committee. Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul, Esq., is Vice Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and serves on the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and the Aging and Human Services Committee. They represent residents of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Fair Haven, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, and Tinton Falls in the State Senate and State Assembly.