Gateway to Sustainable Infrastructure: The Hudson Tunnel Project
Gateway Development Commission (GDC)
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Partnership
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#SDGAction54962
Description
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is a critical component of America's transportation infrastructure, supporting a region that represents 17 percent of the U.S. population and is the location for 97 Fortune 500 company headquarters. This region significantly contributes to the United States' economy, accounting for 20 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The NEC rail network is essential for connecting millions of Americans to employment opportunities, making it an economic lifeline for the region and the nation.
The infrastructure of the NEC, already tested by its age, faces additional pressures from climate change and the severe impacts of events such as Hurricane Sandy. These challenges highlight the urgent need for enhanced resilience and modernization across the corridor.
In this context, the Gateway Program stands as a critical rail investment initiative aimed to enhance the NEC’s reliability, resiliency, and redundancy. The Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP), spearheaded by the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) aims to preserve the current operation of Amtrak’s NEC service and NJ TRANSIT’s commuter rail service by repairing the deteriorating North River Tunnel and enhancing the corridor's resilience. The program's focus on resilience represents a proactive approach to the challenges posed by climate change, with strategic planning for future adaptability. The HTP will deliver pronounced social, economic, and environmental dividends through sustainable and resilient design and construction, yielding substantial benefits:
• Ensuring operational continuity in a region integral to 10% of the nation's GDP and fortifying a mega-region contributing to 20%.
• Generating over 72,000 jobs across various sectors throughout the construction phase.
• Catalyzing $19 billion in economic activity, thereby energizing the national economy.
• Adhering to the Buy America requirement, championing U.S. suppliers and manufacturers, and fostering opportunities for disadvantaged businesses.
• Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by diverting traffic to more sustainable rail travel, offsetting an estimated two million tons of carbon emissions.
• Future-proofing infrastructure against the impacts of climate change, ensuring the longevity and robustness of the rail network.
1. Project Initiation and Goal Alignment: Establish clear sustainability objectives that correspond with the relevant UNSDGs.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate ongoing engagement with stakeholders through public consultations, workshops, and feedback mechanisms to ensure inclusive and sustainable urbanization.
3. Envision Framework Integration: Utilize the Envision sustainability framework to guide all stages of the project, ensuring that sustainability is embedded in the project lifecycle.
4. Best Practices and Innovations: Adopt best practices in sustainable infrastructure development and encourage innovative solutions that contribute to the UNSDGs.
5. Monitoring and Reporting: Implement rigorous monitoring of sustainability metrics as defined by Envision, with regular reporting on progress towards the UNSDGs.
To be completed
1. Governance Structure: The Hudson Tunnel Project is overseen by a collaborative governance structure that ensures comprehensive oversight and strategic alignment with both local and national objectives. This governance framework includes representatives from key stakeholders such as NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak, Port Authority of NY and NJ, State of NY and NJ, the Gateway Development Commission, and other participating agencies.
2. Leadership Committee: In order to facilitate adequate coordination among the Parties during development and delivery of the HTP, the Parties established the Senior Project Coordination Committee (“SPCC”) prior to the advertisement of the HTP’s first construction package.
3. Project Management Office (PMO): At the operational level, a dedicated Project Management Office (PMO) or Delivery Partner (DP) is established to provide additional services to GDC for the delivery of the HTP to augment the resources provided by the Parties responsible for delivery of each applicable HTP Package.
Technical Advisory Groups: The Technical Standards Committee (“TSC”) consists of representatives of the States of New York and New Jersey, as well as technical experts from GDC, Amtrak, NJ TRANSIT, and the PANYNJ to establish technical and design standards and specifications and resolve any technical issues or deviations from those standards.
4. Reporting and Compliance: To maintain transparency and accountability, regular reporting mechanisms are in place. Board meetings and progress reports are shared with all governance participants and made available to the public. Compliance with the Envision framework will be monitored, and updates will be provided on the attainment of certification levels and UNSDG-related targets.
The project’s success will be evaluated against Envision’s sustainability credits and levels of achievement. Progress towards the UNSDGs will be measured through key performance indicators, such as reductions in carbon emissions, improvements in water quality, and enhanced public accessibility. Regular audits and third-party verification through Envision will be employed to maintain accountability and transparency.
In July 2019, the States of New York (“NY”) and New Jersey (“NJ”) created the GDC through the enactment of parallel legislation by each state and codified as the GDC Act. The GDC is a public authority and a government sponsored authority, with three Commissioners from the State of New York, three Commissioners from the State of New Jersey, and one Commissioner directly appointed by Amtrak.
Following are the supporting or executing partners of GDC for the Hudson Tunnel Project -
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (“Amtrak”)
New Jersey Transit Corporation (“NJ TRANSIT”)
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (“PANYNJ”)
State of New York and State of New Jersey
SDGS & Targets
Goal 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
9.1
9.1.1
Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road
9.1.2
Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
9.2
Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
9.2.1
Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita
9.2.2
Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment
9.3
9.3.1
Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added
9.3.2
Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit
9.4
By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
9.4.1
CO2 emission per unit of value added
9.5
9.5.1
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP
9.5.2
Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
9.a
9.a.1
Total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure
9.b
9.b.1
Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added
9.c
Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020
9.c.1
Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
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Other beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries include:
• The NEC Corridor, which will enjoy improved infrastructure, increased resilience to climate change, and enhanced quality of life.
• The regional economy, benefitting from sustainable growth, job creation, and innovation.
• The environment, with sustainable practices reducing the ecological footprint and preserving natural resources for future generations.
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