Congressman Engel Says the Cross Harbor Freight Program Cannot be Further Delayed

Statement

Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, submitted written testimony yesterday at a public hearing held by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), calling for a Tier II analysis of the proposed double stack rail freight tunnel that would run between Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, New Jersey. The proposed tunnel, also referred to as the Cross Harbor Freight Program, would allow goods to move beneath the Hudson River instead of exclusively over the George Washington Bridge, alleviating a significant amount of traffic on the Cross Bronx and the Major Deegan Expressways.

"According to the Port Authority, roughly 12,000 trucks cross the George Washington Bridge into New York every day. As a plurality of these trucks--approximately 2,500--are destined for Bronx locations, most avenues and intersections in the borough inevitably succumb to a high volume of truck traffic," Engel said. "A double stack rail freight tunnel would reduce these numbers significantly."

According to the already completed Tier I Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the project, construction of the freight tunnel would result in approximately 3,000 fewer trucks on the Cross Bronx Expressway daily, with roughly 300 fewer trucks on the Major Deegan Expressway. Tunnel construction would also have a positive impact on the environment, saving hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released by trucks moving through the Bronx. The full text of Congressman Engel's testimony can be found below:

"Thank you for this chance to voice my opinions concerning the Cross Harbor Freight Project.

"In particular, thank you to my long-time colleague and friend, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, for your continued devotion to this project. As a representative of the Bronx and Westchester and a lifelong New Yorker, I am deeply appreciative of the time and effort you and your staff have dedicated to this important cause. Thank you also to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Highway Administration for their hard work in completing this Tier I Environmental Impact Statement.

"I am certain that no Bronx resident is a stranger to the dreadful traffic that plagues our borough and the tristate area every day. These delays do not merely cause occasional frustration; their impacts on our city and our region are serious and diverse. According to the Port Authority, roughly 12,000 trucks cross the George Washington Bridge into New York every day. Since these trucks cannot veer onto the Henry Hudson Parkway towards Lower Manhattan, all 12,000 unavoidably end up on the Cross Bronx Expressway. As a plurality of these trucks -- approximately 2,500 -- are destined for Bronx locations, most avenues and intersections in the borough inevitably succumb to a high volume of truck traffic.

"A double stack rail freight tunnel would reduce these numbers significantly. The Tier I Draft Environmental Impact Statement details the estimated number of trucks that the Cross Harbor Freight Program would divert from Bronx highways: the Cross Bronx Expressway alone would see up to 3,000 fewer trucks every day, while about 300 fewer trucks would use the Major Deegan Expressway. In addition to curtailing congestion, this reduction would, in turn, lessen wear-and-tear on our already weathered roadways.

"A tunnel would also mitigate less obvious, yet equally important, issues. For instance, should this project fail to move forward, in a mere twenty years, trucks moving through the Bronx will release 177,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, adding to an already abysmal asthma rate. In addition, by forcing all of the trucks heading east over the Hudson River to use a single bridge, we have inadvertently created the very grave risk that the George Washington Bridge might become a terrorist target. The George Washington Bridge is essential in bringing goods to our city and region, and even a terrorist threat could prove absolutely devastating to the people of the Bronx and the greater Northeast.

"Having long championed greater infrastructure reform during my 26 years in Congress, I believe we have been remiss in failing to address the aforementioned issues sooner. Let us not waste more time. I second Congressman Nadler's recommendation that a Tier II analysis be performed on a double stack rail freight tunnel. The assorted and sorely needed benefits it would bring to my constituents -- both in the Bronx and Westchester -- are too critical to be further delayed."

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