(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy put his Republican predecessor Chris Christie on blast after referring to his decision to cancel the Gateway tunnel project between New York and New Jersey as “the biggest policy mistake” in the last 50 years of New Jersey’s history.
The project, which would have constructed a new commuter tunnel between the two states under the Hudson River, would have been completed five years ago, according to Murphy, had it not been for Christie’s cancellation of the project.
Murphy also said the project now costs more than it did when Christie was in office. At the time, Christie’s administration announced that it had canceled the project due to rising costs in the state. Murphy said further that, even though it is more expensive, they now have “no choice” but to resume construction, with the governor noting that 20% of the American economy “rides in these rails.”
Murphy also said that the current tunnels connecting New Jersey and New York are outdated and have been severely damaged over time. Their original construction occurred all the way back in 1910.
The Biden administration recently announced that it advanced the Gateway tunnel project to the next step in the Capital Investment Grants program, an initiative to improve the nation’s infrastructure. New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called the Gateway tunnel project a “labor of love,” in a statement last week, announcing the $6.88 billion as “ready to go” to jumpstart the project’s construction.
Former Gov. Christie struck back, with a spokesperson telling The Hill that New Jersey state spending has increased 57% under the new management and that it is “no surprise” to hear Murphy “doesn’t care” about his state’s taxpayers.
The spokesperson further cited an interview the former governor did with WABC’s Larry Kudlow, where he explained that the reason he canceled the project was due to New Jersey and the federal government contributing money, while both the state of New York and New York City were contributing nothing.
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