NJ TRANSIT acquired land from the family of Carmine Franco in early 2010 by condemnation for about $1.6 million, but the family went to court seeking higher compensation. In 2012, a jury said the family deserved $8 million, and the transit agency is appealing the award.
A $12.4 billion project to replace the Hudson tunnels, which would have more than doubled the number of peak-time runs, to 48 trains per hour, was canceled by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2010.
The competitive transit grant awards were part of the DOT's Bus Livability and State of Good Repair programs.
Data tabulated by NJ Transit and released on Friday show that a net of $591.4 million was spent on the project from its formal inception in the summer of 2006 through August 31.
The projects awarded are part of the State Transportation Improvement Program and voter-approved Proposition 1B, a $20 billion bond program to fund transportation projects throughout the state.
Gov. Christie cancelled the ARC commuter tunnel after projections showed the project could go at least $1 billion over its $8.7 billion budget. The new deadline is Jan. 18, 2011.
Agency would like money to pay for multi-level railcars already on order.
Gov. Christie, who withdrew his support for the project a few weeks ago, said this decision to scrap it would not be reconsidered.
I know I’m not the only one upset about the news that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has killed the New Jersey-to-New York tunnel project — the ARC (Access to the Region’s Core) — as it is known. To me, this project represented a huge step forward in the rebuilding of America’s transportation infrastructure. The current tunnel beneath the Hudson was built 100 years ago; do we really need to wait any longer to build another?
In addition to the Mass Transit Tunnel Project, money will also pay for bus, van and railcar purchases, as well as facility, track, and safety and bridge improvements throughout the system.
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