WASHINGTON — The last major barrier to federal funding for a new Portal Bridge was removed Monday.

The Federal Transit Administration raised the rating on the bridge to medium-high, making it eligible for federal funding. All that’s left now is for the Trump administration to approve the grant request, reach an agreement, and write the check.

“This means Portal qualifies for funding, that all of the excuses they were making to deny us funding have now melted away, and we know that the money is there because the Democratic House has made sure to appropriate it,” U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, a member of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told NJ Advance Media.

“At this point, there is no rational reason to block this project any further," said Malinowski, D-7th Dist. "We’ve done what we need to do and they’ve done what they need to do.”

Next up is getting federal assistance for the new Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River, which approval of the Portal Bridge will help, Gov. Phil Murphy told NJ Advance Media.

“I wouldn’t say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step but getting Portal going is a big deal,” Murphy said.

The FTA rated the tunnel medium-low, making it ineligible for federal funds. The agency continued to find fault with the local funding sources.

“While it is my hope that the advancement of Portal Bridge represents a recognition by the Trump administration that Gateway is a project of national significance, the continued low ratings for the Hudson River tunnels show that we must remain vigilant and continue to hold this administration’s feet to the fire,” said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee that oversees mass transit.

The FTA said in a statement that officials have made recommendations on how to fix the funding application for the tunnels, but they have not been followed.

The Portal Bridge has been a bane to NJ Transit commuters and intercity Amtrak passengers when it would get stuck in the open position. More than 450 trains a day carrying almost 200,000 passengers cross the current bridge every weekday.

"This critical project can’t wait any longer as this nearly 110-year-old bridge is a frequent source for delays and frustration for our nearly 90,000 customers who travel to and from Penn Station New York every day,” said Kevin Corbett, president and chief executive of NJ Transit.

Murphy, a Democrat, said he discussed Gateway with President Donald Trump and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao while in Washington to attend the National Governors Association, including Monday at the White House.

In March 2019, the FTA gave the Portal North bridge project a medium-high justification rating, but concerns over how New Jersey would fund its share dragged down the overall rating to medium-low. The tunnel also was rated as medium low, according to the FTA report.

The government objected to the state relying on federal loans that it would have to pay back as its share of the project. Since then, Murphy came up with the state’s $600 million share of the $1.5 billion project through Economic Development Authority bonds.

In addition, plans are in place to replace the swing bridge in Kearny and the necessary environmental permits are in-hand.

NJ Transit had filed a new grant application in October. The FTA said that the transit agency had worked with agency officials to address their concerns and allow the project to proceed.

Since Trump took office, the Hudson tunnels and Portal Bridge projects both had received medium-low ratings from the administration, making them ineligible to receive federal funds under the Capital Investment Grant program. The projects had been rated higher under President Barack Obama.

Commuters got some relief from delays after an agreement brokered with the U.S. Coast Guard in October by Menendez restricted Portal Bridge openings during prime commuting hours to reduce the chance of it getting stuck.

The tunnels and Portal Bridge are owned by Amtrak, the federal passenger railroad company, but federal officials said Gateway was a regional rather than a national concern.

Six years ago, Amtrak officials warned the tunnels could be closed in the near future to repair damage by floodwaters driven by Hurricane Sandy. They were not going to collapse, but the guts of the steel tunnels, concrete walls, electric wiring, signals, track and support structure for the rails, were damaged by corrosive water.

The effect on train traffic would be similar to what happened on Feb. 4, when an overhead wire problem between the tunnels and Penn Station New York caused one tube to be shut down causing 90-minute delays and cost commuters up to four hours in travel time.

Officials are waiting for the Federal Railroad Administration to approve an environmental Impact statement for the tunnel project, which is almost two years past a self-imposed March 2018 deadline.

Last week, eight U.S. senators asked FRA Administrator Ronald Batory what else needed to be done to get a decision. An FRA official said the agency would respond directly to the senators.

“President Trump’s inaction on the most urgent infrastructure project in the nation is causing daily pain for hundreds of thousands of commuters, threatening their safety, and inching us perilously close to a traffic and economic catastrophe,” said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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