OMBUDSMAN ALERT: A CHALLENGE TO ALL OF OUR NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATORS: Make The Gateway Tunnel Project a Priority

BY DR. LOU ALPERT

In last week’s Ombudsman Column, “Rebuilding Our Crumbling Tunnels”, we discussed the vital need for improving the rail transportation links between New Jersey and New York City which would be essential to many of our rail commuters in Rockland County in their quest for a “single-seat-ride” right into Penn Station!

Just last Saturday, in a statement marking the 108th anniversary of the Hudson River Crumbling Rail Tunnels, a BI-Partisan group of six New Jersey State Senators urged President-Elect Donald Trump to make good on his promise to rebuild the infrastructure and build the Gateway Tunnel Project.

This Gateway Project is just as important to New York State, especially Rockland County and the rest of the Lower Hudson Valley, but we must hear from all of our elected New York State Legislators on what they are willing to do to similarly request our President-Elect to make good on this promise.

A good starting point would be an open appeal through this column to our local elected New York State legislators, Senator David Carlucci, and Assemblypersons Kenneth Zebrowski, Ellen Jaffee and Thomas Abinanti for each of them to reach out to President-Elect Donald Trump in the same way their counterparts in New Jersey did last Saturday!

This Ombudsman welcomes all comments from our readers on how important improved rail commutation into New York City would be to them and if they would be willing to contact their New York State Legislators in order to support this effort. Please e-mail: editor@rocklandcountytimes.com