Transit Group Stresses Need for ARC Tunnel to NJ Transit Chief

Political leaders stressed the importance of the ARC Tunnel under the Hudson River to the head of NJ Transit Monday morning during a town hall meeting in Westfield.

NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein told the quarterly meeting of the Raritan Valley Rail Coalition that no final decision has been made on the fate of the tunnel and that negotiations between the state and federal governments will continue for the remainder of the week.

Gov. Chris Christie has suspended work on the tunnel, citing multi-billion dollar cost overruns. He has said if the federal government does not agree to pick up the added costs he will cancel the project, which is projected to bring a one-seat train ride to New York along the Main/Bergen Line in Bergen County. A recent study also suggested the tunnel could cut commutes by at least 20 minutes each way while boosting property values by as much as $60,000 in towns with a rail station.

Weinstein said that while he would not address the specifics of the negotiations between the Christie administration and the Federal Transit Administration, he stressed the final decision made by the FTA will play a role in the final decision of the governor.

"If something does not happen by Friday, we have already issued the stop work orders to the work crews," he said. "We have issued terminations to the design team and the construction management team that will take effect at the end of the week, unless there is a change."

Reiterating the core focus of Christie's previous statements on the tunnel project, Weinstein said Christie is focused on the projected train congestion along the Northeast Corridor rail line shared by NJ Transit and Amtrak.

"The governor is very skittish about putting the taxpayers and fare-payers of New Jersey on the book for an unknown amount of money," he said. "The governor was not happy that he was in the position to do this."

Weinstein declined to say what Christie would consider doing to address the train congestion. He said that the Christie administration has been focused on the negotiations with the federal government and has not been developing other plans.

Weinstein said his agency is committed to the repair of the portal bridge in Hudson County no matter what work occurs on the tunnel. The current swing bridge has had a history of mechanical breakdowns—including one last week that delayed train traffic in and out of New York. He said the current bridge will be repaired and if the tunnel proceeds, a new bridge will also be put in place for the new tunnel.

During an interview with Patch, Weinstein said the location in Manhattan of the tunnel is a concern for himself and Christie. The current plan is for the tunnel to let passengers off underneath 34th Street, between Penn Station and the Herald Square subway station.

Weinstein said that while this is 200 feet away from Penn Station it is not the best spot for commuters. He said the current situation would involve setting up a second NJ Transit concourse not connected to the existing one in Penn Station and past the Long Island Railroad concourse in the transit hub.

U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both Democrats, spent Tuesday morning at labor rallies to drum up support to get the train tunnel back on track, which they say will add much-needed construction jobs in the region.

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNereney and other top Democratic political leaders in the county have also lobbied for the project, said to bring $18 billion to Passaic and Bergen counties and tentatively scheduled to be completed in 2018.

In Teaneck, Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin said he hoped the tunnel could reduce rush hour congestion through the township. The costs, however, were a concern, he has said.

With additional reporting by James Kleimann.