HUDSON COUNTY AND BEYOND – According to the Associated Press, Gov. Christopher Christie has announced he will cancel plans for the Access to the Regions Core (ARC) tunnel, one of the largest and most expensive infrastructure projects in U.S. history, in the making for two decades, out of concern for the eventual cost of the project.
Last month, through NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein, Christie imposed a 30-day suspension on work to reevaluate the tunnel’s construction budget.
The $8.7 billion NJ Transit project, also known as the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel, broke ground in June 2009. The two-tracks were supposed to nearly double the number of trains traveling between New Jersey and New York from the current 23 per hour to 48 and provide 44,000 permanent jobs. The cancellation of the tunnel could cost as many as 6,000 local construction jobs, according to reports.
The Federal Transportation Authority had pledged $3 billion and the Port Authority has promised an additional $3 billion, leaving New Jersey with a $2.7 billion bill.
In the wake of the freeze, which had allowed North Hudson work to continue, U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez (both D-Hudson), said that if the project were to be halted New Jersey stood to lose the largest amount of federal funding ever awarded to a transportation project. Lautenberg amplified those remarks yesterday in press interviews, saying the cancellation could mean New jersey would owe the federal government as much as $300 million. – Tricia Tirella
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