By Larry Penner, New York Daily News; April 23, 2019
Politicians in New York and New Jersey have been denouncing the Federal Transit Administration’s low ratings for the Gateway trans-Hudson rail project as the doings of President Trump. But contrary to the myth spun by Gateway supporters, it was not written by Trump or U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Having worked for 31 years for the FTA, Region 2, which covers New York and New Jersey, I know that this report was written by career professional FTA employees based in Washington, with input from New York Regional Office colleagues. Each proposed project is reviewed and ranked on the same series of questions and criteria, along with any updated information provided by the project sponsor. This includes progress to date in advancement of environmental review, design and engineering along with identification of matching local share.