NJ Gov. Sticks by Cancellation of New Hudson River Tunnel

[jnohallman]

In what appears to be an incredibly shortsighted move, Gov; Christie has decided that commuters using rail transit to get from NJ to NYC and back don't need any improvement in capacity over what is available from a century old 2-track tunnel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101027/..._hudson_tunnel

Jon

[crazytiger]

What a shame... That was very short sighted.

[ShortlinesUSA]

Or you could look at it from the other side-- a tough decision during tough economic times. If you know there will be a couple of billion in overruns and you don't have the money, you don't buy it, unlike most of our politicians are accustomed to doing these days. Fiscal responsibility is tough medicine.

[Ween]

If Christie's doing it, it's gotta be right!

[Freericks]

I'm guessing Chris and Mike that neither of you have ever lived in NJ and commuted into NYC.

[ShortlinesUSA]

I have lived in NYC, but commuted from Queens. That still doesn't change the fact that if you can't pay for it, you don't do it. That's a mentality long absent from all levels of government. That said, if it is that desparately needed, a way to fund it should be found, and tough choices made in prioritizing where limited funding is needed most.

[Freericks]

I'm really hoping not to get into a political discussion, but I do want to point out that building infrastructure has huge benefits way beyond anything that makes sense to straight out number crunchers.

Witness the Republican decision to build the Interstate system.

Witness the Democratic decision to build TVA and Boulder Dam.

[trainboysd40]

Isn't he planning to use federal money specifically given for that sort of project on repaving roads instead? If so, that's damned dirty.

[Freericks]

Yes. He says the saving is on the hypothetical overruns, the number for which he is claiming it to be is considerably higher than others have estimated.

In real dollars, this move does not save a red cent. It only undermines the particular project in question.

[Chris Kilroy]

Supporters of the project — an idea that has been on the drawing board for about 20 years — said it would create 6,000 construction jobs and thousands more jobs afterward, as well as ease train delays in a region with one of the nation's longest commute times.

Wow, 6000 (temporary) construction jobs for the bargain price of only $9 billion! That works out to $1.5 million per job; what a steal! As to how a new tunnel which basically only enhances an already existing route creates "thousands more jobs afterward," I'd love to hear someone explain that.

The "blue states" where this kind of unadulterated spending has gone on for decades (California and Jersey are both right at the top of the list, Charles) are teetering on the edge of insolvency. Going a further $5 to 9 billion in debt because some people think we "need it" simply doesn't pass muster anymore... not when we're in debt up to our eyeballs with no foreseeable way out.

New Jersey is in fiscal crisis for the ages, and good on Gov. Christie for having the courage to make the tough (and sometimes unpopular) decisions!

[Freericks]

Roy LaHood, who disagrees with those numbers, is a Republican.

There is a huge financial loss every day that you have a couple million people taking an hour and a half to travel 8 miles (three hours total a day). Think of how much money is being thrown away by permitting that situation to continue.

I could easily be wrong, sure... but it reminds me of people who save money by not putting new tires and brakes on the car, because they can't afford it. As my grandfather (the son-in-law of a Republican Congressman) would always ask, "Well, can you afford the funeral?"

[jnohallman]

Originally Posted by Chris Kilroy

As to how a new tunnel which basically only enhances an already existing route creates "thousands more jobs afterward," I'd love to hear someone explain that.

Perhaps the missing word there is potential, but think of it in these terms. By "enhancing" the existing route, the plan would essentially double the number of commuters who could be moved from NJ into NYC within the same amount of time. In theory, that also doubles the potential number of laborers available to employers in NYC from that region, which would enable greater business growth than otherwise. Now, admittedly, there are other ways for those potential employees to get into NYC, though perhaps less efficiently. You also have to consider that a lack of convenient transportation is likely to slow growth in the region generally, as people who might otherwise move into the area to pursue opportunities choose not to because of the transportation challenges.

Jon

[jnohallman]

Something else to consider here. In order for Governor Christie to be logically consistent, he should also cancel any other infrastructure project that the state of New Jersey is spending money on that adds capacity. In other words, if building the new tunnel only serves to augment existing capacity, but can't be justified in the existing climate, neither can any road widening job. No new roads from point A to point B if people can already get from point A to point B to another, albeit inferior, route. No added runways aty any airports within the state. Again, this is a matter of being logically consistent. If adding capacity is not a legitimate reason for spending money on infrastructure in these economic times, don't do it anywhere. Because all projects are subject to cost overruns, not just this one. How about only spending money on repairs where not doing them subjects the public to potential disaster? In other words, if a bridge is in danger of collapse, ok, fix it. If a road has a bunch of potholes and the primary risk is people needing to pay for more front-end alignments, don't patch the potholes. It'll save a lot of money!

Jon

[Ween]

If a road has a bunch of potholes and the primary risk is people needing to pay for more front-end alignments, don't patch the potholes. It'll save a lot of money!

That actually helps the local economy. Ask any alignment place!

BTW, Christie 2012 and/or 2016! The best thing to come out of New Jersey since...well, ever!

[jnohallman]

Originally Posted by Ween

BTW, Christie 2012 and/or 2016! The best thing to come out of New Jersey since...well, ever!

Aren't you forgetting about Snooki?

Jon

[Freericks]

Originally Posted by Ween

That actually helps the local economy. Ask any alignment place!

BTW, Christie 2012 and/or 2016! The best thing to come out of New Jersey since...well, ever!

Dude... I come from NJ!

[jnohallman]

Originally Posted by Freericks

Dude... I come from NJ!

And you have all our sympathies . . .
Jon