US Construction Project Grounds to a Halt as Trump Defunds Hudson River Tunnels
In a move that's sent shockwaves through the construction industry, US President Donald Trump has ordered the withholding of funding for one of America's largest infrastructure projects - the $16 billion Gateway Development Commission. The project aimed to build new rail tunnels under the Hudson River but with federal grants and loans now on hold, officials have been left with no choice but to shut down operations.
According to Gateway CEO Tom Prendergast, "Today is a setback." The organization has exhausted all avenues to prevent an interruption to construction and now faces an uncertain future. The halt in work won't be as simple as turning off the lights - nearly a year of labor and $15 million to $20 million per month will be needed to wind down operations.
The Gateway Development Commission had already faced significant challenges, including a lawsuit filed by officials demanding $205 million in federal payments that have been withheld over the past four months. New York and New Jersey followed suit with their own lawsuits, seeking to force the money to flow.
However, it's not just the project itself that poses problems; shutting down the work will require significant resources to close up shop. Five job sites on either side of the Hudson River need to be backfilled, fences built around them, and security guards hired to prevent trespassers and vandals. Sections of the West Side Highway in Manhattan, which were dug up as part of the project, must also be restored, along with a bike lane that was rerouted.
Additionally, a significant portion of the Hudson River's bed, frozen and hardened with concrete to support the new tunnels, needs to be converted back to its original state. The massive cofferdam set up in the middle of the river to install this concrete must also be restored, requiring around-the-clock maintenance. Not to mention two massive boring machines that were ordered to carve out a 2.4-mile tunnel - these will need to be mothballed.
Gateway officials are already anticipating significant costs for maintaining all the project's sites while no construction takes place. The cost is expected to run $15 million to $20 million per month, according to lawyers with Gateway.
The move comes as a blow to the Gateway Development Commission, which had planned to eventually order two more boring machines for soft rock in the river bed. Project leaders are now facing an uncertain future, and experts warn that if the shutdown continues for too long, it won't be easy to get work started again.
In a move that's sent shockwaves through the construction industry, US President Donald Trump has ordered the withholding of funding for one of America's largest infrastructure projects - the $16 billion Gateway Development Commission. The project aimed to build new rail tunnels under the Hudson River but with federal grants and loans now on hold, officials have been left with no choice but to shut down operations.
According to Gateway CEO Tom Prendergast, "Today is a setback." The organization has exhausted all avenues to prevent an interruption to construction and now faces an uncertain future. The halt in work won't be as simple as turning off the lights - nearly a year of labor and $15 million to $20 million per month will be needed to wind down operations.
The Gateway Development Commission had already faced significant challenges, including a lawsuit filed by officials demanding $205 million in federal payments that have been withheld over the past four months. New York and New Jersey followed suit with their own lawsuits, seeking to force the money to flow.
However, it's not just the project itself that poses problems; shutting down the work will require significant resources to close up shop. Five job sites on either side of the Hudson River need to be backfilled, fences built around them, and security guards hired to prevent trespassers and vandals. Sections of the West Side Highway in Manhattan, which were dug up as part of the project, must also be restored, along with a bike lane that was rerouted.
Additionally, a significant portion of the Hudson River's bed, frozen and hardened with concrete to support the new tunnels, needs to be converted back to its original state. The massive cofferdam set up in the middle of the river to install this concrete must also be restored, requiring around-the-clock maintenance. Not to mention two massive boring machines that were ordered to carve out a 2.4-mile tunnel - these will need to be mothballed.
Gateway officials are already anticipating significant costs for maintaining all the project's sites while no construction takes place. The cost is expected to run $15 million to $20 million per month, according to lawyers with Gateway.
The move comes as a blow to the Gateway Development Commission, which had planned to eventually order two more boring machines for soft rock in the river bed. Project leaders are now facing an uncertain future, and experts warn that if the shutdown continues for too long, it won't be easy to get work started again.
. and the gov's decision is gonna cost so much more in the end. i mean, it's one thing to delay a project but to shut it down completely? that's just reckless. don't even get me started on the maintenance costs... $15 million a month?! that's like, a small country 
. what's next? are they gonna shut down all the other construction projects too? this is not how you build infrastructure... 
. now it seems like trump is all over the place with his funding decisions... anyway, this is gonna cause some headaches for new york and jersey 
gotta hope they can figure out a way to get things back on track soon 
the Gateway project was really gonna make a big impact on the NYC area and now it's just all messed up 
. And what's with the massive cost of shutting down the project? $15-20 million a month is crazy! 
They should've thought that one through before making this decision 
. The Hudson River tunnel was gonna be so cool, too - it would've reduced congestion and made NYC even more livable 
now it's just stuck in limbo 
. It's like the whole thing just freezes in place and nobody knows what's next. And can you imagine the state of those job sites when they finally close? Like, a big ol' ghost town on both sides of the river... it's sad to think about all that work and resources being wasted 
. I'm just hoping the government can figure out a way to get this back on track soon...
i mean, five job sites to be closed down, fences to be built, security guards to be hired... it's crazy. and the costs are gonna add up too - 15 million to 20 million a month? what were they even thinking? 
. Trump should really think about the consequences of his actions before doing something so reckless 
.
. I mean, who does this kind of thing? 
#TrumpTunnelTroubles #HudsonRiverHijinks #InfrastructureFiasco
this is like when you're at a construction site and the boss comes along and says "hold up folks we need more funding for your hard hat" 
but seriously $16 billion and now its all up in the air lol, i mean who knew trump had such a great eye for tunneling projects 
, we've been hearing rumors about Trump messing with infrastructure projects left & right 
. but can you believe they're gonna have to deal with all this hassle just to wind down? like, $15-20 million a month in costs? that's insane! 
sadly, I guess this is what happens when politics gets in the way of progress 
Zzz...