Mikie Sherrill Visits Glen Ridge To Push For Gateway Tunnel

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey governor candidate Mikie Sherrill recently paid a visit to her home district to reaffirm her support for a massive public works project that some experts are calling one of the most important in the nation.

Last weekend, Sherrill – an Essex County resident – stood alongside other local officials, advocates and commuters for a news conference at the Glen Ridge Train Station.

The goal? To rally support for the Gateway project: a new train tunnel between New Jersey and New York City.

The Gateway Tunnel was greenlighted during the administration of former President Barack Obama. It hit a brick wall when President Donald Trump took office for his first term, but picked up steam again when Joe Biden entered the White House.

Construction on the new tunnel started on both sides of the Hudson River in November 2023 after years of stalled progress. It will serve NJ Transit and Amtrak trains.

Last week, the Trump administration announced that it is halting billions of dollars for the tunnel, linking it to a DEI probe and the ongoing federal government shutdown. Read More: Trump Administration Freezes Funds For Gateway Tunnel

The announcement has left some New Jersey commuters fuming, including Erin Scherzer, one of the people who attended Saturday’s press conference in Glen Ridge.

“Too often trains are cancelled and I’m left stranded while trying to get to work or see my family,” Scherzer said.

“NJ Transit has become unreliable and we need a governor who will put repairing it front and center,” Scherzer continued.

It isn’t just commuters who would lose if the Gateway Tunnel stalls, advocates say. According to Sherrill, the project will generate $42.8 billion in economic activity in the region and create nearly 100,000 jobs.

“When I first ran for Congress, I ran on getting the Gateway Tunnel Project funded — and we got it done,” Sherrill said. “Now, Trump is trying to turn the clock back on a critical project for New Jersey, rip away tens of thousands of jobs, and steal billions of dollars from our state.”

“Not under my watch,” she added.

Sherrill, a Democrat, and Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee, have each commented on the funding freeze.

The congresswoman has blasted the White House for “attacking” the Gateway Tunnel, which she has advocated for in the past.

Ciattarelli has agreed that “NJ Transit is important to hundreds of thousands of people,” but has added that he believes the tunnel will eventually be completed – just as the government shutdown will eventually end.

“That project is not going to stop any time soon,” Ciattarelli said. “This is part of the government shutdown, in my opinion. I know the president says a lot of different things, but we’ll get that funding.”

When asked if he’d consider suing the Trump administration to get some of the funding back, Ciattarelli replied: “I don’t need to sue the White House to get things done.”

• See Related: Ciattarelli Draws Large Crowd In Nutley As Governor Race Heats Up

Meanwhile, Sherrill has accused Ciattarelli of being “scared of Trump” after securing an endorsement from the president earlier this year.

“[Jack Ciattarelli] said there’s not a single issue where he disagrees with Trump, and he promised to never take them to court,” Sherrill recently wrote. “As governor, I will fight this tooth-and-nail and sue the Trump administration to finish this critical, job-creating infrastructure project to reduce congestion and improve quality of life in New Jersey.”

“If there were ever a time to rise above partisan politics and help, now would be it,” the congresswoman said. “Instead, [Ciattarelli] has disappeared, refusing to call out this attack on our state and call on Trump to restore the funding.”

“While he continues to put Trump above New Jersey, I am committed to doing whatever is necessary to get this funding back,” Sherrill charged.

A spokesperson for the Ciattarelli campaign pushed back, criticizing Sherrill for “opposing a bipartisan plan to continue funding the government to play politics instead.”

“If Mikie Sherrill did her job as a congresswoman we wouldn’t be in this mess,” he recently told Patch. “Make no mistake, Mikie Sherrill owns this shutdown and is responsible for any negative impacts on Gateway Tunnel project and other New Jersey priorities.”

• See Related: NJ Gov Candidates Trade Shots Over Gateway Tunnel

‘WE NEED THIS PROJECT UP AND RUNNING’

Other local officials in North Jersey backed up Sherrill at last weekend’s press conference in Essex County.

“Glen Ridge is right along the NJ Transit line, and with that comes hundreds of commuters who depend on a reliable commute,” said the town’s mayor, Debbie Mans.

“Our residents’ livelihoods and the economy of the region are not part of a ‘negotiation’ strategy in the Republican shutdown of the federal government,” Mans said, adding that nearby small businesses would also be impacted.

“We need this project back up and running,” Mans said.

According to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., the Gateway Tunnel will make local residents’ lives – and commutes – much easier.

“Instead of focusing on the future, we are now trying to stop from sliding backwards,” DiVincenzo said. “We need a leader in Trenton who will fight to make our lives easier and drive money into our towns — not run scared when New Jersey needs to stick up for itself.”

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