🚨 $16b Gateway Tunnel Standoff: Judge Orders Funds Released — Work Still Frozen

For the people building the Gateway Tunnel, this isn’t politics — it’s paychecks. The $16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project was supposed to be business as usual this week. Instead, job sites are quiet, tools are down, and hundreds of workers are stuck waiting after federal funding was frozen.

Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze the money. Sounds like a win — but here’s the problem: the ruling is temporarily on hold while the administration appeals. So even with a judge saying release the funds, construction is still paused.

That’s why workers showed up to rally.

Some said they were told Friday would explain everything. Others said they’ve got bills due and no clear timeline. “We’re ready to work,” one laborer said. “We just need the green light.”

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill didn’t mince words, calling the delay unacceptable and saying workers and commuters are being used as leverage in a political fight.

And for commuters? This tunnel isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

The existing Hudson River tunnel is more than a century old and still damaged from Superstorm Sandy. Every delay raises the risk of service disruptions that could cripple daily travel between New Jersey and New York.

The Gateway Tunnel Project is about more than concrete and steel — it’s about:

• Thousands of union jobs

• Reliable commutes for over 200,000 riders

• Keeping the region’s economy moving

Right now, everyone’s waiting on the courts.

⚠️ Bottom line: A judge said release the funds. Appeals are slowing it down. Workers are stuck in the middle — ready to build, but forced to wait.

This story isn’t over.
Follow JERSEYTALKS for updates as it develops.