July 18, 2024 – On Thursday morning, Kris Kolluri announced his resignation as chief executive officer of the Gateway Development Commission.
Alliance for Action President Jerry Keenan had this to say about Kolluri’s departure:
“The New Jersey Alliance for Action applauds Kris Kolluri’s leadership of the Gateway Development Commission and dedication to delivering the most urgent mass transit project in the nation. Thanks to Kris’ leadership, the Hudson Tunnel Project has reached the point of no turning back, with a historic federal funding commitment and construction underway in New Jersey and New York. This is an incredible achievement that sets the stage for long-term job creation and economic growth in New Jersey and across the nation, starting with the projected 95,000 jobs and $19.6 billion in economic activity that will result from construction. We are thankful for Kris’ hard work that led to this historic achievement, and look forward to continuing to work closely with the Gateway Development Commission moving forward.”
5 things we know about Kolluri’s departure as the CEO of the Gateway Development Commission:
- His final day is August 16. In his resignation letter, he said: “Given the anticipated start of major tunnel construction this fall, it is the right time for me to step down and let the next leader oversee the construction phase of HTP.”
- From northjersey.com, which broke the story: Kolluri’s decision comes just 10 days after he and federal transit officials signed a $6.88 billion full funding grant agreement, the final piece of the financial puzzle that gives the agency the ability to begin construction in earnest on the lengthy and complicated project.
- Did the federal commitment seal Kolluri’s decision? We’ll let you decide, but here’s what he told NJ.com in a recent interview: “As a practical matter and a legal matter, once the federal government signs a full funding grant agreement, they have never, ever gone back on it because it’s legally binding — on all parties, which now includes New York, New Jersey, the Port Authority, Amtrak and the federal government. Everybody is essentially saying, “We are now going to do this.”
- No word yet on who will take over but Governors Kathy Hochul and Phil Murphy will have no shortage of interested candidates.
- What’s next for Kolluri? No word yet on that, either. But given his work on this project, he’ll have plenty of people lined up at his doorstep.
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The Alliance for Action is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. Since 1974, we’ve worked as a non-partisan and non-profit association representing thousands of business, labor, government, utility, education, professional, and other New Jersey leaders. Our mission is to improve New Jersey’s economy through the promotion of environmentally friendly capital construction and infrastructure investment.
