Kris Kolluri, CEO of the Gateway Development Commission, tendered his resignation on July 18. In this role, Kolluri has led the $16.1 billion Hudson Tunnel project and the $1.7 billion North Portal Bridge on the Northeast Corridor rail line between Newark, NJ, and New York City. Kolluri’s resignation takes effect on August 16.
In his resignation letter to Gateway’s board of commissioners, Kolluri highlighted the team’s accomplishments in the two years since he was appointed to the position with recommendations from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. York Kathy Hochul. Gateway completed procurement for several pieces of the tunnel project, began construction on both sides of the river, and recently secured the latest funding for the work with a record $6.9 billion capital investment grant from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
“The progress we’ve made together is historic, significant and measurable,” he wrote in the resignation letter, obtained by ENR.
Kolluri received accolades for his work at Gateway. Tom Wright, president and CEO of the Regional Plan Association, and Sophie Cappello, RPA’s director of advocacy campaigns, said in a statement that “it’s truly impressive to consider what Kris and her team have achieved in two years.” Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, said in a statement that Kolluri deserves the industry’s thanks for his communication and collaboration.
“Kris Kolluri took an entity that barely existed and turned it into a multibillion-dollar operation, no small feat, because the stakes couldn’t have been higher,” Scissura said.
As the reason for his departure, Kolluri refers to his letter to the planned start of construction of a major tunnel this autumn. “The time is right for me to step down and let the next leader oversee the construction phase,” he wrote. His resignation also follows that of Eric Daleo, who was Gateway’s head of programs until he left the organization earlier this month. On social media, Gateway shared that Daleo was “critical” to securing the FTA grant.
Kolluri did not offer a more detailed reason for his departure and did not immediately respond to ENR’s request for comment.
In addition to coming shortly after securing the latest funding for the Hudson River Rail Tunnel, Kolluri’s resignation comes after press reports uncovered an apparent reference to him in the indictment South Jersey political power broker George Norcross III.
Although Kolluri is not charged with any crime, a person matching his background is briefly referred to as “Individual-1” in the 69-page indictment charging Norcross and five others with racketeering and felony related last month. The person in question had been CEO of Rowan-Rutgers Camden University’s Board of Governors, but moved to a role at the helm of the not-for-profit redevelopment organization Camden Community Partnership, formerly Cooper’s Ferry Partnership. apparently because Norcross “wanted to move people to Camden.” and disapproved of Kolluri’s predecessor at the association, according to the indictment. The move vacated the university board position for former Camden Mayor Dana Redd, who was also indicted along with Norcross.
The commission’s board was scheduled to meet on July 16, but the meeting was canceled with a rescheduled date still pending.
Prior to joining Gateway, Kolluri also served in leadership roles with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.
After Gateway received the FTA grant, Kolluri posted a photo on LinkedIn of himself with leaders from both states holding an oversized novelty check. He simply captioned it, “Done.”
