After facing a series of setbacks, the plan to rehabilitate and expand train tunnels under the Hudson River is moving forward thanks to new federal support.

The tunnel linking New Jersey and New York by train under the Hudson River, first built more than a century ago, will undergo a $16 billion repair and expansion project starting in 2024 after the Gateway Development Commission took control of the project in September. As Dan Zukowski explains in Smart Cities Dive, “Legislation enacted separately by New York and New Jersey created the GDC in 2019. The commissioners include representatives of both states and Amtrak, which owns the tunnel and the rail line.”
Zukowski describes the project’s decade-plus history, noting that, despite a series of past delays, “With a more Amtrak-friendly Biden White House and money from the bipartisan infrastructure law, the tunnel project looks to be moving ahead.”
“Plans to add capacity with an additional tunnel go back to at least 2009, when work began on a project killed a year later by then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. But Superstorm Sandy in 2012 flooded the tunnels with saltwater, damaging electrical and mechanical equipment and creating cracks in the concrete walls.”
The project could be completed in 2035. “After completing the new tunnel, the GDC will spend three years rehabilitating the existing tunnels, ultimately doubling track capacity to reduce delays and increase service.”
FULL STORY: $16B Hudson tunnel project for Amtrak set to begin construction in late 2024

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Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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