New York, NY —

Opponents of a proposed freight tunnel say it will clog their roads with trucks - despite promises to reduce traffic city-wide.

REPORTER: Congressman Jerry Nadler has secured $100-million dollars from the federal transportation bill to begin designing the tunnel. Mayor Bloomberg and Governors Pataki and Codey have said they oppose the project. Neighborhood activist Anthony Nunziato thinks the money should be used for other transportation improvements - or returned to Washington.

NUNZIANTO: This would just flood the area with tractor trailers. It would tie everything up in knots. It's just abysmal what would happen.

REPORTER: Nadler and other proponents of a tunnel say the region uses too many trucks and too few trains to transport goods, contributing to regional pollution.

The proposed tunnel would go from Jersey City to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. From there, it would connect to existing train lines and run onto Long Island, via a proposed freight terminal in Maspeth, Queens. Designing the tunnel is expected to cost around $700-million, and building it could cost 10 times that.

Construction currently is slated to begin in 2009 and take four years to complete.