By PATRICK MCGEEHAN of The New York Times
Few elected officials have ever inherited a public works project that promised as many benefits as the proposed Hudson River commuter train tunnel is supposed to deliver to the constituents of Gov. Chris Christie.
Advocates for the project, which would add a second pair of tracks between New Jersey and Manhattan, say it will reduce traffic congestion and pollution, shorten commuting times, increase suburban property values and create 6,000 construction jobs. Before Mr. Christie became New Jersey’s governor in January, the state’s elected officials had already lined up $6 billion for the project from agencies outside the state.
Despite everything that the project appeared to have going for it, Mr. Christie ordered a review this month of the tunnel’s cost, a move that many supporters of the project worry could signal its undoing.
During the 30-day review, digging will continue on the New Jersey side of the river, but no new work will begin. “If I can’t pay for it, we’ll have to consider other options,” Mr. Christie said last week.
On Friday, New Jersey’s two senators, Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, and several other Democratic officials appeared at the site where digging began last year and urged the governor to reconsider. “Don’t throw away $6 billion; don’t throw away thousands of jobs,” Mr. Lautenberg said.
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