On ARC: One derailment won't stop progress

Read the full article in the Opinion section of Newark, NJ, based The Star-Ledger

Two weeks ago, I helped dedicate the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which bypasses the narrow, two-lane road atop the Hoover Dam. It is a marvel of engineering, the longest bridge of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, and it rests on the tallest precast concrete columns ever fashioned.

Staring up at this monument to human ingenuity, almost 1,000 feet off the ground, I could not help but feel inspired. This bridge is more than the cement and steel that ties Nevada to Arizona. It is a symbol of a great nation that does great things.

O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge bypassing Hoover Dam; a testament to American ingenuity and bold infrastructure investment

In America, we pride ourselves on dreaming big and building big. We invest for the future, not just in spite of challenges, but as the means of overcoming them. After all, we constructed the Hoover Dam and Golden Gate Bridge during the worst depression of our history. And we planned and paved America’s state-of-the-art interstate highway system in the aftermath of World War II.

Against the backdrop of these enduring legacies, Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to terminate America’s largest transportation project was particularly disappointing. Unfortunately, his choice comes with profound consequences for New Jersey, the New York metropolitan region and our nation as a whole.

Portal to the existing Hudson transit crossing; is this really the symbol we want for America's infrastructure?

Tens of thousands of jobs that the tunnel would have created will be lost. Future New Jerseyans will face shrinking property values, suffocating road traffic, interminable train delays and increasing air pollution. A $3.358 billion federal investment in the region’s economic future will move elsewhere.

Click to continue reading "On ARC, one derailment won't stop progress" at The Star-Ledger site...

Comments

[Brad Kava]

Christie's decision is so short-sighted. It's exactly the opposite of the leadership we need.

[Sally Jane Gellert]

I am torn over this decision by our governor; I fear that it is in part political grandstanding, and that bothers me tremendously. I also think that the timing and manner in which the decision was announced done is regrettable. Buried in the hoopla, however, is a second tunnel program, that may ultimately make as much or more sense. That is the proposed Amtrak tunnel that would go into Pennsylvania Station, not over to the east side, at a much shallower depth. Why cannot NJ Transit and Amtrak work together with the federal and state government to make that plan work? Frankly, I think that would have been a more sensible route from the beginning, and I hope this seemingly rash decision by Gov. Christie is used to encourage a less expensive, more efficient means of upgrading our Hudson River crossings. As a Bergen County, New Jersey, resident who uses the trains a lot (actually, more within the state than to New York), I often change trains at the Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station—it is a modern, lovely building; schedules are accommodating—especially during daytime hours and going into the city, there is rarely a significant wait; and it is only a minor inconvenience. Frankly, if a smaller yet effective upgrade is available, I am all for it—taxes in New Jersey are high enough (some of the highest in the nation) without the potential of huge unfunded overruns for which residents would be responsible in the future. For those of you reading this whom it helps to understand my perspective, I consider myself socially liberal and fiscally conservative; I do not vote along party lines but by candidate and issue.

[Murray Bodin]

The ARC Tunnel is the essential link between Washington DC and Boston. It is the most important rail project in the Northeast.

With all the other projects being funded in less populated areas, the ARC Tunnel MUST be funded. The sooner the better!

[Truckdrivernews]

Hey Ray,

Why not tell the whole truth?

From the great Governor's blog: "As we now know, the range given then – $10.878 billion to $13.736 billion, not including the $775 million for a new Portal Bridge – far exceeded the working assumption of an ARC tunnel project at $8.7 billion plus the cost of the Portal Bridge."

[Ken Orski, Editor, Innovation NewsBriefs]

Governor Chris Christie was right to have terminated the trans-Hudson tunnel project as currently conceived. In its current state, ARC is purely a local commuter rail connection to Manhattan with a terminus adjacent to Penn Station but not even tied into its Amtrak intercity lines. An investment on this scale should be considered in a larger context of the proposed Amtrak's NE Corridor high-speed line. As such, it is properly a project of regional or even national significance and should be funded primarily by the federal government and not by New Jersey taxpayers.

If there is one corridor in this country that justifies and deserves true high-speed rail service by virtue of its urban densities, passenger flows, economic activity and sheer size and importance, it's the Boston-to-Washington corridor. More than any other transportation initiative of recent years, the Amtrak concept plan evokes the tradition of what Felix Rohatyn has called America’s "bold endeavors" — a series of grand transportation enterprises that began with the Erie Canal and the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century and continued into the 20th century with the Panama Canal and the Interstate Highway System. The Northeast Corridor High-Speed Rail Line would be a truly worthy 21st century inheritor of that tradition. And the Trans-Hudson Tunnel could be a fitting beginning to this bold venture.

N.J. Alliance for Action was right to urge that the $3 billion federal commitment to the ARC tunnel should be redirected to Amtrak for construction of the trans-Hudson tunnel as an integral part and essential first element of Amtrak's plans to develop high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor. And kudos to Rep John Mica (R-FL) for urging that any future federal high-speed rail assistance should be focused primarily on making the Amtrak vision a reality rather than dissipated among many so-called "high-speed" rail corridors of questionable merit.

Kenneth Orski
Editor/Publisher
Innovation NewsBriefs