Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NJ Gov Christie Kills Hudson Tunnel Project
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 8, 2010
Modified Oct 8, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 8, 2010
Modified Oct 8, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, NJ Governor Chris Christie officially cancelled the country's largest public transit project, the Trans Hudson Mass Transit Tunnel, which would have doubled rail capacity between NJ and NY. The project is currently estimated at $8.7 billion (it was estimated at $5 billion in 2005), but Christie says it could go as high as $14 billion with overruns. Christie said, "The only prudent move is to end this project. I can’t put taxpayers on a never-ending hook."
NJ will have to forfeit $3 billion in federal funds for the project (Christie: "The $3 billion in federal funding doesn’t even get us a third of the way under the river"), which was hailed to bring in construction jobs, aside from easing transit between the Garden State and Big Apple. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) criticized the Republican governor's decision, "Without increased transportation options into Manhattan, New Jersey’s economy will eventually be crippled. The Governor has sentenced New Jersey to a future of insufficient access to New York City, fewer job opportunities, and lower home values." Also, the Star-Ledger reports, other Democratic legislators believe Christie's "ultimate goal all along has been to redirect New Jersey’s share of the tunnel project into the nearly bankrupt state Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services. That would enable Christie to avoid increasing the gas tax to pay for the fund, generally considered a politically unpopular move."
The Star-Ledger's Mark DiIonno writes about the "Tunnel to Nowhere," "After 53 years of talking, 17 years of actual studying and planning, and $478 million spent, this is what we got: a dirt lot, a shuttered storage center, and a new concrete overpass."
Tagged
arc
Chris Christie
hudson river
mass transit
nj
real estate
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
Mayor Mamdani has expanded enforcement on towing scams, but the unlicensed towing industry remains largely unregulated.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 4:47 p.m. ET
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
DOC negligence factored in death at Rikers' Bellevue hospital outpost, jail officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
By
Stephen Nessen
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .