TRENTON — When it comes to the planned multibillion-dollar commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River, Gov. Chris Christie isn’t doing much to build bridges, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg says. The longtime Democratic senator said the Republican governor has refused to let NJ Transit engineers and professional staff meet with federal transportation officials to break a 30-day construction delay...
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in this August 2010 file photo.TRENTON — When it comes to the planned multibillion-dollar commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River, Gov. Chris Christie isn’t doing much to build bridges, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg says.
The longtime Democratic senator said the Republican governor has refused to let NJ Transit engineers and professional staff meet with federal transportation officials to break a 30-day construction delay that threatens to scuttle America’s largest public works project.
On Sept. 10, Christie ordered a 30-day halt on new tunnel construction to review the financial viability of the project that was estimated at $8.7 billion, but could cost up to $5 billion more. The project is awaiting a final agreement that would outline the costs, timeline and responsibilities for the life of the project.
Up to $600 million has already been spent on the tunnel project, known as Access to the Region’s Core, or ARC.
Top representatives from the Federal Transit Administration, NJ Transit, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Port Authority met in Washington, D.C., on Friday to discuss the tunnel project.
Lautenberg said the Christie administration is refusing to allow NJ Transit engineers and other professional staff meet with the FTA during that 30-day stretch, which could get in the way of an accurate final estimate.
"If the point of the 30-day pause in construction of the tunnel was to determine the project’s final costs, the state’s actions over the last two weeks make no sense," the senator said in a statement. "If the governor wants to know what the final cost of the project will be, he must stop blocking NJ Transit’s professional staff from working with their federal counterparts to crunch the numbers."
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said that although the governor’s administration appreciates Lautenberg’s input, the session in D.C. was a fact-finding meeting attended by high-level officials from the governor’s office and all of the involved agencies.
"Also in attendance were NJ Transit ARC project leaders who are proficient and knowledgeable on all aspects of the ARC project, including cost projections," Drewniak said. "We will continue a responsible assessment of the project and its cost before making critical decisions."
In addition, NJ Transit engineers and financial staff met previously with the FTA.
The FTA remains committed to providing $3 billion for the project, Lautenberg said. The Port Authority also has committed $3 billion and New Jersey $2.7 billion — $1.25 billion in New Jersey Turnpike Authority money and the balance in federal funds that flow to the state.
But there have been discussions about using money allocated for the tunnel to instead revive New Jersey’s nearly broke Transportation Trust Fund.
The trust fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services, is set to run out of money in March. Christie has been adamant about not raising the gas tax to replenish it.
The tunnel linking New Jersey with Manhattan is expected to double rail capacity. It was scheduled to be completed in 2018.