The New Jersey Turnpike Authority today voted to redirect $1.25 billion from the now scuttled ARC tunnel project to other area transportation needs.
The agency had agreed to fund a portion of the ARC tunnel under former Gov. Jon Corzine, but late last year, Gov. Chris Christie halted construciton of the tunnel, which would have run from Secaucus to New York city, citing the potential for billions in cost overruns.
The money will now be used over the next five years for projects across the state, including bridge and highway repair.
New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel called the approval “highway robbery,” and said it’s nothing more than a tax on commuters.
“This is a hidden tax on commuters paid for by killing the ARC Tunnel,” Tittel said in an email. “This is bad transportation policy and it is even worse fiscal policy.”
