Tuesday's midterm election could potentially unlock federal funds for a much-needed new rail tunnel under the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York and a new bridge leading to it.

President Donald Trump has shown a reluctance to support the Gateway Program in the two years since his election, putting the region's biggest infrastructure priority in limbo.

But on Tuesday, Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in eight years, elevating leaders who are likely to give the project a shot in the arm.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., is poised to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. On Wednesday, he told reporters that he would seek an infrastructure bill with "real money" and make sure the federal government is committed to funding transit projects, including Gateway.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., is likely to head the House Appropriations Committee, a powerful panel now led by retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding. Unlike Frelinghuysen, who had a fraught relationship with outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Lowey is a close ally of Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, is another senior lawmaker on a key House committee: Ways and Means. The tax-writing panel would play a role in funding infrastructure.

Though committee assignments can change, other New Jersey lawmakers may have a greater say. Reps. Donald Payne, D-Newark, and Albio Sires, D-Jersey City, are members of the House subcommittee on railroads. It's not yet clear what roles three, maybe four, Democrats who won Republican House seats in New Jersey might have.

DeFazio said he supports creating a special subcommittee focused on infrastructure investment.

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The federal Highway Trust Fund, part of which pays for mass transit projects, is projected to become insolvent by 2021, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The federal per-gallon tax on gasoline, which Congress hasn't increased in 25 years, no longer pays for the country's basic infrastructure upkeep, much less big new projects.

"It’s time to own up to the fact that we are borrowing money to fund infrastructure, and it’s a damn good investment," DeFazio said.

The chances of getting any of the roughly $13 billion needed to build the Hudson River tunnel, or even $1.6 billion for a new Portal Bridge, remain unclear. Any proposal would have to get through the Senate, which will have a larger Republican majority, and Trump would need to support it, too.

"We’re going to need him. We have to bring along the Senate," DeFazio said. "If the president’s on board, then we can get the Senate on board."

Early in Trump's presidency, the White House did roll out an infrastructure plan. However, the $200 billion in direct investment it offered would have shifted money away from Amtrak and the kind of transit grants that the Gateway projects need.

The plan went nowhere, and its chief architects have left the White House.

The stakes are high. The 108-year-old Hudson River tunnel was inundated by corrosive seawater from Superstorm Sandy in 2012. A failure of the tunnel could have a crippling effect on the region's economy.

Even in its current condition, the rail infrastructure from New Jersey to Manhattan has reliability problems. Just last week, the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River swung open to let a barge pass and then wouldn't close, delaying thousands of commuters.

Portal's replacement would be built high enough above the water line so that barges could pass through unimpeded. Some preliminary construction is already taking place, and NJ Transit has increased the local contribution to the project to $600 million.

The rest may be up to Congress and the federal government.

It's likely that House Democrats, freshly empowered to conduct oversight, will take a look at how the U.S. Department of Transportation has been treating Gateway.

DeFazio said there is bipartisan concern that the Federal Transit Administration is "slow-walking" transit grants that were appropriated by the current Republican Congress.

Portal Bridge, for example, was assigned a lower rating by the agency last year, making it ineligible for the grants it sought. The project's rating is under review and could change.

"There’s going to be quite a bit of scrutiny about what’s going on at the Federal Transit Administration and DOT," DeFazio said.

Email: tate@northjersey.com