Dana Rubinstein writes that New Jersey Chris Christie may have to answer for more than just the Bridgegate scandal if he throws his hat into the ring in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The second transportation bungle of Gov. Christie's administration, according to an article by Dana Rubenstein: "[his] unilateral cancellation of a new underwater rail tunnel connecting New Jersey to Midtown Manhattan, a project saddled with an ungainly name—Access to the Region’s Core" (ARC)—i.e., "a new tunnel under the Hudson River to connect the commuter-rich suburbs of northern New Jersey with job-rich midtown Manhattan."
The fully funded $8.7 billion project broke ground in 2009, but "in an early assertion of his intention to redefine the relationship between New Jersey and New York, argued that the project was too risky and cancelled it, and redirected much of its funding to road repairs within his own state." Back in 2012, the Government Accountability Office produced a report finding that Gov. Christie has "misstated" information used to support his decision.
The dubious political reasoning revealed for the project's cancellation now appears even more harmful, after Amtrak released a report last week finding that "salt left behind by Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters continues to weaken the tunnels’ concrete and corrode its cast iron and steel" and have, at most, 20 years left. (Amtrak uses tunnels that would have been supplemented by the Access to the Region's Core project, allowing them to close some of their tunnels for repairs.)
Meanwhile ARC's replacement project, Gateway, still lacks funding and if all goes as well as ideally possible, the project would be done in the middle of next the decade.
FULL STORY: Chris Christie’s other transit scandal could be the big one

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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