New York City in brief

Crews in North Bergen, New Jersey, have begun assembling two bespoke German-designed tunneling machines—at $25 million a pop—to carve the first new Hudson River train tunnels since 1910, part of the $16 billion Gateway Program. When welded together, each 1,700-ton juggernaut should munch 30 feet of basalt per day, a far cry from the hand-dug, bends-inducing methods of yore; we suspect Erector sets never had stakes quite so subterranean.

Preparations creep ahead for the Gateway Tunnel, with engineers set to deploy twin, 1,700-ton boring machines in North Bergen for a new rail link beneath the Hudson between New York and New Jersey. Hard Palisades rock and copious lawsuits mean progress is measured in inches, not miles; funding hiccups and custom-fit complications remind us that underground travel, like bespoke tailoring, never comes off the rack.

Donald Trump’s domestic policy bill promises stricter Medicaid rules, so New York officials are busy dreaming up ways to shield residents from potential coverage losses. The state, ever fond of a bureaucratic work-around, argues that nearly 7 million New Yorkers depend on this safety net. If both sides dig in, we might witness the rare spectacle of local ingenuity outpacing federal inventiveness—at least until the next regulation drops.

The Trump administration will break ground on the Northeast Supply Enhancement gas pipeline off New York City’s coast, with Governor Kathy Hochul’s permits clearing a project long stalled by environmental concerns. Officials say the Williams Companies’ pipeline, serving 2.3 million homes, will bolster grid reliability and save $6 billion over 15 years, though “energy dominance” may ruffle more than just seabeds among New York’s climate-minded citizenry.

Over a million New York renters may soon be forced to double as janitors and doormen, as 32BJ SEIU—whose members handle garbage, security, and maintenance in thousands of buildings—will vote Wednesday on whether to strike, walking out as soon as April 21. Given labor’s flair for last-minute deals, we may see more bargaining chips than garbage bags lining city sidewalks yet.