We all know, and mostly applaud, the fact that Governor Christie stuck up for the taxpayers of New Jersey by canceling the bloated project and unconscionable deal that was the ARC tunnel to New York. His reason for doing so, as explained in his interview on Meet the Press this past weekend, was simple. We can’t afford it.
Now that the tunnel has officially been canceled and is not coming back, the FTA is demanding that NJ Transit pay back the $271 Million it received so far for the project. The way that the story is framed would certainly seem like bad press for Christie. However, the savings from canceling the tunnel far outweigh the punitive repayment that will need to be made. New Jersey was not only responsible for nearly $3 Billion initially, but also any and all overruns, projected to also be in the Billions, that the tunnel required for completion. Another key piece of information, New York would not be paying a cent for this tunnel that would directly benefit its largest city.
Governor Christie did what was right, and in his usual fashion, treated the taxpayers of New Jersey like adults, and canceled the project. $271 Million will be a small price to pay to not saddle our future with the debt that this quagmire of a project would have created.
The same is happening in Wisconsin with our cho-cho- train. Thank goodness for Scott Walker!!