Christie used false numbers in reasoning for vetoing tunnel project

J.E.D

Gold Member
Jul 28, 2011
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The biggest infrastructure project in the US. Thousands of jobs; needed relief of traffic congestion; Christie vetoed it after millions had already been spent and based his veto on false numbers.

Report Faults Christie’s Tunnel Numbers - Metropolis - WSJ

A federal report released Tuesday found that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie exaggerated the projected cost overruns of a tunnel to Penn Station, which had been the largest infrastructure project in the U.S. before the governor killed the project.

The Government Accountability Office concluded that cost estimates for a tunnel beneath the Hudson River hadn’t changed significantly in the two years prior to Christie’s decision in 2010 to cancel it.

At that time, Christie said he was concerned the project’s cost could rise to more than $14 billion based on Federal Transportation Administration estimates. But the report found that NJ Transit officials disagreed and continued to project a lower range — with a maximum final cost of $10 billion.

The 29-page report also found Christie overstated how much New Jersey would have been on the hook for the project. Federal investigators found that the state’s share would have been $1.3 billion, or 14% of the project’s total, as of an April 2010 analysis. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was expected to cover 35% of the funding for the tunnel.

Christie had told Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that he could not “justify” the project because the state would have to pay for 70% of the project plus the cost overruns, he told the Journal. That 70% included the amount from the Port Authority, the administration said Tuesday.
 

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