A New York federal judge on Friday unfroze funds withheld by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for a $16 billion project to overhaul critical rail infrastructure in New York and New Jersey.
The Gateway Project will build a new commuter rail tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey and repair a century-old tunnel used by more than 200,000 travelers and 425 trains daily.
The existing Hudson Tunnel was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and needs frequent emergency repairs that disrupt travel on the nation’s most heavily used passenger rail line.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan handed down the temporary ruling hours after New York and New Jersey said construction would halt for lack of funding.
Vargas said the states were likely to succeed on their claims that a Trump administration directive freezing the funds was arbitrary and ran afoul of legal procedures for making policy changes.
