Access to the Region's Core

{{Infobox tunnel

|name = ARC Tunnel{{cite web |title=ARC Access to the Region's Core |publisher=New Jersey Transit |url=http://www.arctunnel.com/ |access-date=January 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202055734/http://www.arctunnel.com/ |archive-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=live}}

|image =

|caption =

|line =

|location = Hudson Palisades/Hudson River

|coordinates = {{coord|40.75479|-74.01677|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:US}}

|system = New Jersey Transit Rail Operations

|status = Canceled as of October 2010

|start = North Bergen, New Jersey

|end = New York City

|stations =

|startwork = June 2009

|open =

|close =

|owner =

|operator = New Jersey Transit

|traffic = Train

|character = Passenger

|construction =

|length =

|linelength =

|tracklength =

|notrack = 2 single-track tubes

|gauge = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}

|el = 12 kV overhead catenary

|speed =

|hielevation =

|lowelevation = {{convert|100|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} below river level{{convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on}} average depth in Palisades portion

|height = {{convert|24.5|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}

|grade = 0.3 – 0.8%

}}

Access to the Region's Core (ARC) was a proposed commuter-rail project to increase passenger service capacity on New Jersey Transit (NJT) between Secaucus Junction in New Jersey and Manhattan in New York City. New infrastructure would have included new trackage, a new rail yard, and a tunnel under the Hudson River. A new station adjacent to New York Penn Station was to be constructed as running more trains into the current station was deemed unfeasible. An estimated budget for the project was $8.7 billion. Construction began in mid-2009 and the project was slated for completion in 2018, but it was cancelled in October 2010 by Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, who cited the possibility of cost overruns and the state's lack of funds. Six hundred million dollars had been spent on the project.{{Citation |last=Pillets |first=Jeff |title=State wants refund for $161.9M tunnel insurance |newspaper=The Record |date=February 28, 2011 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/recap/117040328_State_wants_refund_for__161_9M_tunnel_insurance.html |access-date=March 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926134017/http://www.northjersey.com/recap/117040328_State_wants_refund_for__161_9M_tunnel_insurance.html |archive-date=September 26, 2012}} The decision remains controversial.{{cite web |last=Higgs |first=Larry | url=https://www.nj.com/news/2020/10/we-could-have-gotten-new-rail-tunnels-to-nyc-10-years-ago-heres-what-happened.html | title=We could have gotten new rail tunnels to NYC 10 years ago. Here's what happened | date=October 27, 2020 |work=NJ.com |access-date=December 18, 2022}}

After its cancellation, the federal government demanded repayment of funding received by NJT for the project. The Christie administration engaged a law firm to present its arguments for non-payment, which were subsequently rejected by the Federal Transit Administration. An agreement was eventually reached in which part of the funds would be returned while other monies would be used on transit-related projects.

Soon after work was halted, there was speculation that the previously discussed idea of the New York City Transit Authority's 7 Subway Extension continuing into New Jersey would be revived, but was later scuttled. In February 2011, Amtrak announced the Gateway Project, a plan to build a right of way and new tunnels from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station, passing through Secaucus Junction, which would be shared with NJT trains.{{Cite news |last=Frassinelli |first=Mike |title=N.J. senators, Amtrak official to announce new commuter train tunnel project across the Hudson |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=February 6, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_senators_to_announce_new_co.html |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207232224/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_senators_to_announce_new_co.html |archive-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Gateway Project |publisher=Amtrak |date=February 2011 |url=http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/Gateway.pdf |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207210953/http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/Gateway.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=dead}}

Christie later directed PANYNJ funding toward New Jersey road projects.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nyregion/07christie.html |work=The New York Times |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |title=Christie Seeks Loan in Plan to Pay for N.J. Transit |date=January 6, 2011}} A March 2012 Government Accountability Office investigated the decision to cancel the project and provided comments that questioned Christie's rationale.{{cite web |url=http://gao.gov/assets/590/589192.pdf |title=Commuter Rail |date=March 2012 |publisher=Gao.gov |access-date=April 23, 2015}} Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. and Securities and Exchange Commission conducted investigations into possible misuse of PANYNJ funds towards projects involving roadways possibly not under the agency's purview, such as the Pulaski Skyway. Eventually $400,000 in fines were paid.

Overview

=Infrastructure=

File:NJT ARC Project Definition Report EPE update Rev.3 2008 08.pdf

The project would have more than doubled the number of trains from New Jersey to Midtown Manhattan, providing direct, one-seat service from most of New Jersey Transit's rail lines, as well as more frequent service to in-state destinations.{{cite news |title=N.J./N.Y. rail tunnel will benefit commuters |first=Richard R. |last=Sarles |url=http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/02/njny_rail_tunnel_will_benefit.html |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=October 8, 2010}}

The improvement would have included the construction of two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River as a supplement to the North River Tunnels, which operate at 100% capacity. The new tunnels would have connected to a six-track, state-of-the-art construction of a new station under 34th Street east of the existing Penn Station with pedestrian connections to the existing station and the Eighth, Seventh, Sixth Avenue, and Broadway lines of the New York City Subway. Also planned were a new rail loop near the Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station allowing Main Line/Bergen County Line and Pascack Valley Line trains direct service to Midtown, and a new mid-day rail storage yard in the Kearny Meadows.{{Cite news |last=Belson |first=Ken |title=Tunnel Milestone, and More to Come |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 6, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06RtunnelNJ.html |access-date=January 26, 2011}}New Jersey Transit (October 2008). Newark, NJ. [http://www.arctunnel.com/pdf/library/0_5_executive_summary_feis.pdf "Access to the Region's Core: Final Environmental Impact Study."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707160023/http://www.arctunnel.com/pdf/library/0_5_executive_summary_feis.pdf |date=July 7, 2011 }} Executive Summary. While the terminal station would have dead-ended trains, there was hope that it would one day be extended eastward depending on future funding.{{refn|For a very detailed discussion of the project scope see the project definition [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NJT_ARC_Project_Definition_Report_100%25_PE_Rev_1_2008_01_18.pdf report] produced by the project in 2008 and the updated [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NJT_ARC_Project_Definition_Report_EPE_update_Rev.3_2008_08.pdf report] issued later that same year.}}

=Cost and funding=

{{Pie chart

|caption = 2009 Federal Transit Administration projections for the cost of the ARC tunnel. Later increases in projected costs, which would have to be assumed by the State of New Jersey, led Governor Chris Christie to cancel the project.

|thumb = right

|label1 = New Starts — $3.0B

|value1 = 34.48

|label2 = Port Authority — $3.0B

|value2 = 34.47

|color2 = #66F

|label3 = CMAQ & FHWA — $1.32B

|value3 = 15.18

|color3 = #F90

|label4 = NJ Turnpike — $1.25B

|value4 = 14.37

|color4 = #090

|label5 = ARRA — $0.13B

|value5 = 1.50

|color5 = #FF0

}}

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) projected the cost for ARC as $8.7 billion in their 2009 Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for the New Starts Program,{{citation |title=Annual Report on Funding Recommendations, Fiscal Year 2011, New Starts, Small Starts, and Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program |url=http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/110_NJ_Access_to_the_Regions_Core_FD.pdf |date=November 2009 |access-date=September 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527122159/http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/110_NJ_Access_to_the_Regions_Core_FD.pdf |archive-date=May 27, 2010 |url-status=dead}} which identified the funding for the project as follows.

Federal New Starts = $3.0 billion
Federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act = $0.130 billion
Federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program & Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) = $1.320 billion
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey = $3.0 billion
New Jersey Turnpike Authority = $1.250 billion

Projections rose to close to $11 billion by the time of the cancellation of New Jersey's funding of the project{{Cite news |title=New York Studies Extending Subway Line to New Jersey |first1=Charles V. |last1=Bagli |first2=Nicholas |last2=Confessore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/nyregion/17tunnel.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 16, 2010 |access-date=November 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118062720/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/nyregion/17tunnel.html |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |url-status=live}} It is estimated that $610 million has been spent on the project. Before being terminated, the Port Authority had purchased, or otherwise acquired rights or leased land on Manhattan's West Side.{{cite news |title=Committee on operations minutes |publisher=PANYNJ |date=March 25, 2010 |url=http://www.panynj.gov/corporate-information/pdf/march_25_2010_ops_Minutes.pdf |access-date=December 27, 2014}}{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Eliot |title=Planned Hudson Tunnel Puts an Extra $6 M. in Sam Chang's Pocket [UPDATED] |publisher=The Observer |date=August 8, 2008 |url=http://observer.com/2008/08/planned-hudson-tunnel-puts-an-extra-6-m-in-sam-changs-pocket-updated/ |access-date=December 27, 2014}} About $250 million was spent on studies and design.{{Cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=With One Plan for a Hudson Tunnel Dead, Senators Offer Another Option |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 7, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/nyregion/08tunnel.html |access-date=February 9, 2011}} Condemnation procedures initiated by the state for properties along the route in Hudson County were left pending at various stages after the cancellation.{{Cite news |last=Firschein |first=Merry |title=Cases in limbo with tunnel demise |newspaper=The Record |location=Bergen County |date=October 30, 2010 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/cases-in-limbo-with-tunnel-demise-1.934351 |access-date=September 13, 2015}}

Christie later directed that funding be directed to road projects.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nyregion/07christie.html |title=Christie Seeks Loan in Plan to Pay for N.J. Transit |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 6, 2017 |access-date=December 6, 2017 }} In March 2011 the PANYNJ agreed to redirect $1.8 billion earmarked for the project to repairs to road and bridges in Hudson County that it saw as part of the larger network of the distribution system in the Port of New York and New Jersey.{{cite news |last=Boburg |first=Shawn |title=Port Authority to redirect $1.8B in tunnel funds to North Jersey road repairs |newspaper=The Record |date=March 29, 2011 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/032911_Port_Authority_to_redirect_18B_in_tunnel_funds_to_North_Jersey_road_repairs.html |access-date=April 4, 2013 }}{{cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=Commuters Feel Pinch as Christie Tightens |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 15, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/nyregion/in-christies-policies-pain-for-commuters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& |access-date=April 7, 2013 }} In September 2011, the Turnpike Authority voted to spend the funds committed to the project on roads within the state.{{Citation |last=Frasinelli |first=Mike |title=N.J. Turnpike Authority to redirect $1.25B from scrapped ARC tunnel to local road, bridge projects |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=September 8, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/nj_turnpike_authority_to_redir.html |access-date=September 9, 2011 }}

Project history

=Design=

In 1995, the ARC project began with the initiation of the Access to the Region's Core Major Investment Study (MIS) in which an initial list of 137 alternatives was identified, including bus, light rail, subway, Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail, commuter rail, ferry, new technologies, and auto. This Major Investment Study was completed in 2003, and recommended two alternatives for advancement into a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Alternative P would create new tracks and platforms under the existing Penn Station. Alternative S would create a new rail link to existing Penn Station as well as new East River Tunnels to expanded rail storage facilities at Sunnyside Yard. Alternative G would have provided a link to Grand Central Terminal, but that alternative was not recommended for further advancement.{{cite press release |publisher=NJ Transit |year=2003 |title=Access to the Region's Core Major Investment Study Summary Report 2003 |url=http://www.arctunnel.com/pdf/library/ARC_MIS_Summary_Report.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429194828/http://arctunnel.com/pdf/library/ARC_MIS_Summary_Report.pdf |archive-date=April 29, 2011}}

The environmental review stage lasted from 2003 to 2009.{{cite press release |title=McGreevey announces major progress for "ARC" project |url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2003/062003.shtm |date=June 20, 2003}} In the very early stages of the project, there were plans for track connections from the new tunnels to existing Penn Station, the Penn Station Connector, which would have provided NJ Transit and Amtrak with the operational flexibility to use either the existing rail tunnels or the new ARC tunnels. In order to achieve a less than two percent grade from the low point in the tunnel under the river to Penn Station, the Penn Station Connector would have to diverge from the new ARC tunnels somewhere under the Hudson River. This would have required approval by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Coast Guard to allow construction of a very large, expensive cofferdam mid-river. Regulatory approvals seemed unlikely; construction of the cofferdam would have disrupted the contaminated river bottom, which was previously declared a Superfund site{{cite web |url=http://www.hudsondredging.com/ |title=The Hudson River Dredging Project |publisher=General Electric |access-date=October 22, 2009}} and would have obstructed busy river shipping channels. In addition to Hudson River impacts, the Penn Station Connector would have required excavation of a wide trench across Manhattan's West Side. Known as cut and cover tunneling construction, this wide trench would have displaced many businesses and residents and required unlikely support from the Hudson River Park Trust, Community Boards, and other stakeholder organizations.{{cite news |title=Reconquering Gotham |first=William |last=Vantuono |url=http://www.railwayage.com/in-this-issue/reconquering-gotham-april-2010.html |date=April 2010 |magazine=Railway Age |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926142417/http://www.railwayage.com/in-this-issue/reconquering-gotham-april-2010.html |archive-date=September 26, 2010 |url-status=live}}

After the initial engineering and expert peer review in 2006 and 2007, NJ Transit determined that moving the station deeper and using modern tunnel boring techniques was the only way to avoid environmental, community, and engineering concerns. The agency opted to construct an underground terminal, which later became a source of controversy.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Design and construction management contracts were awarded respectively to THE Partnership, a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff, STV, and DMJM Harris/AECOM,{{cite press release |publisher=New Jersey Transit |date=August 1, 2006 |title=Engineering Begins on Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Tunnel |url=http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2249 |access-date=February 13, 2010}} and CM Consortium, a joint venture of Tishman, Parsons Corp. and ARUP, both in 2006.

In July 2006, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced its decision to allow preliminary engineering to begin on the new trans-Hudson rail tunnel.{{cite news |title=New Hudson Rail Tunnel Is Nearing Federal Approval |first=Ronald |last=Smothers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/nyregion/19tunnel.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 19, 2006 |access-date=February 13, 2010}} Supporters called the FTA's announcement a positive sign that the federal government eventually intended to commit funding to the project. The FTA approved the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the project in January 2007,{{cite press release |publisher=New Jersey Transit |date=January 19, 2007 |title=FTA Approves Next Major Step for Tunnel Project |url=http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2293 |access-date=February 13, 2010}} and the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) in March 2008. The SDEIS identified and evaluated the environmental impacts of a deeper profile tunnel with no track connections to existing Penn Station. These changes to the project scope were necessitated by a significant number of environmental, community, and engineering concerns regarding construction of the previous shallow tunnel and station. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was approved in October 2008.{{cite press release |publisher=The Associated Press |date=November 10, 2008 |title=N.Y.-N.J. rail tunnel clears environmental hurdle |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/nynj_rail_tunnel_clears_enviro.html}} In January 2009, the FTA issued the Record of Decision for the project and approved the start of final design.{{cite press release |publisher=New Jersey Transit |date=January 14, 2009 |title=Record of Decision Access to the Region's Core Project in Hudson County, NJ and New York City, NY |url=http://www.arctunnel.com/pdf/library/final_arc_record_of_decision.pdf |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025132608/http://arctunnel.com/pdf/library/final_arc_record_of_decision.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2010 |url-status=dead}}

=Beginning of construction=

File:NJT owned factory-grounds at western portal of ARC-Gateway tunnel-Tonnelle Ave-North Bergen.jpg

The first construction contract was awarded to construct a new railroad underpass at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen in June 2009, and the project's groundbreaking was held on June 8, 2009.{{cite press release |publisher=New Jersey Transit |date=June 8, 2009 |title=New Jersey Breaks Ground on Nation's Largest Transit Project |url=http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2516 |access-date=February 13, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627234727/http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=2516 |url-status=dead }} The Palisades Tunnels construction contract, the first major tunneling contract for the project was awarded on May 5, 2010.{{citation |title=Skanska to Construct Rail Tunnel in New York for USD 52 M, Approximately SEK 380 M |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100517007289/en/Skanska-Construct-Rail-Tunnel-York-USD-52 |date=May 18, 2010}}

=Cancellation=

Governor Christie endorsed the project in April 2010, but his support for the project was later called into question.{{cite news |title=Political Will Disappearing, New Jersey's ARC Project Could be On the Way Out |first=Yonah |last=Freemark |url=http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/09/17/political-will-disappearing-new-jerseys-arc-project-could-be-on-the-way-out/ |work=The Transport Politic |date=September 17, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922073832/http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/09/17/political-will-disappearing-new-jerseys-arc-project-could-be-on-the-way-out/ |archive-date=September 22, 2010 |url-status=live}} On September 10, 2010, with final design and construction on the first two contracts was already underway, NJ Transit's executive director, James Weinstein, ordered work on the tunnel to be suspended for 30 days for a 30-day risk review of the project's cost and schedule, because of concerns that the project would go $1 billion over budget which the State of New Jersey could not afford to pay.{{cite news |title=N.J. halts new work on $8.7B N.Y.-N.J. tunnel project due to budget issues |first=Ted |last=Sherman |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=September 12, 2010 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/nj_halts_new_work_on_87b_ny-nj.html |access-date=September 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915223955/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/nj_halts_new_work_on_87b_ny-nj.html |archive-date=September 15, 2010 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Gov. Christie says he ordered suspension of $8.7B trans-Hudson tunnel project |first1=Lisa |last1=Fleisher |first2=Ted |last2=Sherman |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/gov_christie_orders_temporary.html |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Neark |date=September 14, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917085836/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/gov_christie_orders_temporary.html |archive-date=September 17, 2010 |url-status=live}} News reports mentioned the possibility that Governor Christie's administration was considering scrapping the project to use the project's funding to replenish New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund, however New Jersey's Transportation Commissioner James S. Simpson denied that the Administration ever contemplated such a possibility.{{cite news |title=NJ Official: Diverting Arc Tunnel Money Considered |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/09/20/nj-official-diverting-arc-tunnel-money-considered/ |date=September 20, 2010 |website=CBS New York}}{{cite news |title=N.J. transportation chief says no plan to kill rail tunnel |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/092810_NJ_transportation_chief_says_no_plan_to_kill_rail_tunnel.html |first=Karen |last=Rouse |date=September 28, 2010 |newspaper=The Record |access-date=October 8, 2010}}

On October 7, 2010, New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced that the ARC Tunnel project was officially cancelled, citing rising costs and concerns over New Jersey residents fronting the bill for the estimated $15 billion project.{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |title=Christie Halts Train Tunnel, Citing Its Cost |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/nyregion/08tunnel.html |work=The New York Times |date=October 7, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903010718/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/nyregion/08tunnel.html |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=It's Official: ARC Tunnel Project is Dead |author= |website=WNYC |date=October 7, 2010 |url=http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/oct/07/its-official-arc-tunnel-project-dead-not-enough-jersey-state-pockets/ |access-date=October 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010133452/http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/oct/07/its-official-arc-tunnel-project-dead-not-enough-jersey-state-pockets/ |archive-date=October 10, 2010 |url-status=dead}} The next day the governor agreed to a two-week reprieve, so that additional options for funding the tunnel could be developed.{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |title=Christie to Review Options on Tunnel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/09/nyregion/09tunnel.html |work=The New York Times |date=October 8, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528184520/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//10//09//nyregion//09tunnel.html |archive-date=May 28, 2011 |url-status=live}} Christie did briefly reconsider, reviewing options in discussions with US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, but made a final decision to terminate the project on October 27, 2010.{{cite press release |publisher=New Jersey Office of the Governor |date=October 27, 2010 |title=Governor Chris Christie – "I'm executing my responsibility in the way that I believe is best for the people of the State of New Jersey and our long-term fiscal health." |url=http://nj.gov/governor/news/news/552010/approved/20101027b.html |access-date=January 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170746/http://nj.gov/governor/news/news/552010/approved/20101027b.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |title=N.J. Gov. Christie to cancel Hudson River tunnel, blaming feds' refusal to increase funding |first1=Josh |last1=Margolin |first2=Mike |last2=Frassinelli |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/nj_gov_christie_to_cancel_huds.html |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=October 27, 2010 |access-date=October 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030152159/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/nj_gov_christie_to_cancel_huds.html |archive-date=October 30, 2010 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Christie Kills Train Tunnel, Again |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/christie-kills-train-tunnel-again/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 27, 2010 |access-date=October 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029172545/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/christie-kills-train-tunnel-again/ |archive-date=October 29, 2010 |url-status=live}}

At the time of cancellation, construction was already underway on the Tonnelle Avenue Underpass and the Palisades Tunnels, one of the project's three tunnel segments in the project. The construction contract for the Manhattan Tunnels was pending award to Barnard-Judlau JV.{{cite web |title=Strong competition for first ARC contract |url=http://www.tunneltalk.com/ARC-Nov09-Manhattan-Tunnels-contract-bids.php |date=November 2009 |last=Wallis |first=Paula |website=TunnelTalk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717113336/http://www.tunneltalk.com/ARC-Nov09-Manhattan-Tunnels-contract-bids.php |archive-date=July 17, 2011}} The Hudson River Tunnels, the third and final tunnel construction contract, was in the procurement phase.

Funding repayment controversy

The cancellation forfeited federal funding for the project, and put into question the use of Port Authority money. In November 2010, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood agreed to an arrangement proposed by New Jersey's congressional delegation in which the state would return $271 million already received for the project and the federal DOT would in turn put $128 million into the state's Congestion Mitigation Air Quality account to be used on future projects. The Christie administration did not accept the offer.{{Citation |title=U.S. relaxes demand on $271M ARC tunnel funds after N.J. Gov. Christie canceled project |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=December 16, 2010 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/us_relaxes_demand_that_nj_pay.html |access-date=May 2, 2011 }}

The federal government then demanded total repayment by New Jersey of federal grants, as stipulated under federal law. The Christie administration has refused to repay and is involved in legal proceedings to avoid doing so.{{cite web |last=Patton Boggs |title=New Jersey Transit Corporation's Opposition to the Federal Transit Administration's November 24, 2010 Repaymnet Demand |publisher=scribd.com |date=January 25, 2011 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/47605113/Opposition-to-Demand |access-date=December 15, 2014}}{{cite web |last=Kabak |first=Benjamin |title=Mulling the 7, Christie disputes ARC payments |url=http://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/01/26/mulling-a-7-extension-christie-disputes-arc-payments/ |work=Second Avenue Sagas |access-date=April 7, 2011 |date=January 26, 2011}} The Federal Transit Administration requested that the state repay $271,101,291 by December 24, 2010.{{Cite news |title=N.J. is formally told to pay federal government $271M for canceling ARC tunnel |agency=Associated Press |date=November 29, 2010 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/nj_formally_told_to_pay_federa.html#incart_mce |access-date=December 20, 2006}} New Jersey hired the Washington, D.C. law firm Patton Boggs to argue against the repayment.{{Citation |last=Rouse |first=Karen |title=Legal bill for ARC tunnel money fight tops $333,000 |newspaper=The Record |date=March 10, 2011 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/117720013_Legal_fees_rising_in_tunnel_fight.html |access-date=March 14, 2011 }} As of April 2011, Patton Boggs had billed the state $803,000 in legal fees.{{cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=N.J. legal tab to fight $271M federal bill for scrapped ARC tunnel reaches $800K |publisher=nj.com |date=April 20, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/nj_legal_tab_to_fight_271m_fed.html |access-date=April 30, 2011 |quote=Invoices show the Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs law firm billed the state $469,715 for work performed in January alone. The Record newspaper reports that covers more than 700 hours of work performed by 11 attorneys. The newspaper says those costs are in addition to the $333,281 NJ Transit has already paid the law firm for work in December.}}

In a letter to New Jersey U.S. senators and congressional representatives, Secretary LaHood wrote that the state was liable for the money, and that non-payment could result in the withholding of federal funding for other projects.{{Citation |last=Rizzo |first=Salvador |title=Federal government demands N.J. re-pay $271M for commuter tunnel Gov. Christie canceled |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=April 30, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/federal_government_orders_nj_t.html |access-date=April 30, 2011 }}{{cite web |last=La Hood |first=Ray |title=Secretary of Transportation letter to Senator Lautenberg |publisher=nj.com |date=April 29, 2011 |url=http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/other/Lautenberg%20Response.pdf |access-date=April 30, 2011 }}

On April 29, 2011, a Federal Transit Administration ruling rejected New Jersey's arguments on the repayment of the funds. The debt carries an interest rate of 1% per year,{{cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=New Jersey Must Return $271 Million Spent on Hudson Tunnel, U.S. Insists |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A16 |date=April 30, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/nyregion/new-jersey-told-to-repay-us-for-hudson-tunnel-project.html |access-date=April 30, 2011}} and began to accrue on that date at a rate of approximately $225,000 per month.{{Cite news |last=Rizzo |first=Salvatore |title=Gov. Christie's battle over scrapped ARC tunnel costing N.J. $225K a month in interest alone |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=May 29, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_christies_battle_over_scra.html |access-date=May 29, 2011}} Christie vowed that he would contest in the decision in court.{{Cite news |last=Rizzo |first=Salvatore |title=Christie vows to fight Obama administration in court over $271M for scrapped ARC tunnel |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=May 3, 2011 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/christie_to_fight_obama_admini.html |access-date=July 21, 2011}}

In September 2011, FTA and NJT reached a deal whereby $95 million would be paid back.{{Cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=N.J. to Repay U.S. $95 Million Over Hudson Tunnels |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 30, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/nyregion/nj-to-repay-us-95-million-over-hudson-tunnels.html |access-date=October 3, 2011}} The agreement waived $2.7 million in penalties and interest and stipulated that $128 million would be spent on DOT-approved transit-related projects.{{Cite news |last=Rouse |first=Karen |title=Feds reach deal with NJ Transit to reduce ARC tunnel debt to $95M |newspaper=The Record |date=September 30, 2011 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/130834053_N_J__still_facing_bills_for_tunnel.html |access-date=September 30, 2011 }}{{cite news |title=N.J., feds settle bill for canceled ARC tunnel for $95M |first=Mike |last=Frassinelli |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/nj_feds_settle_bill_for_cancel.html |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=September 30, 2011 |access-date=September 30, 2011}} While the $95 million taken as loss in 2011, the re-payment schedule will be $19 million per year for five years.{{cite news |last=Higgs |first=Larry |title=Hudson River tunnel project expenses eat up revenue gains from NJ Transit ridership increase ARC tunnel expenses haunt agency two years after cancellation |newspaper=Asbury Park Press |date=April 6, 2013 |url=http://www.app.com/article/20130405/NJNEWS10/303290120/tunnel-project-cost-nj-transit |access-date=April 26, 2013 }}

NJT costs, litigation, and settlements

In June 2010, a $162.7 million insurance premium payment was made by NJT when the project started, $144.5 million of which was reimbursed. The remaining $18,208,603 was used to cover the cost of insurance coverage for the project until it was shut down.

In October 2012, in an eminent domain case for a property in Weehawken that lies in the path of the tunnel, NJT was ordered to pay $8.5 million for the parcel. The amount was contested and reduced to $6.13 million.{{cite web |last=Higgs |first=Larry |url=http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/12/nj_transit_quietly_writes_big_check_to_family_of_reputed_mobster.html |title=NJ Transit quietly writes big check to family of reputed mobster |website=NJ.com |date=December 5, 2017 |access-date=December 6, 2017}}

The agency also agreed to a $5.6 million settlement with a construction company, Barnard/Judlau Joint Venture, for previously completed work final design plans, drawings and reports.{{cite news |last=Frassinelli |first=Mike |title=NJ Transit still paying price for canceled Hudson River rail tunnel |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |date=October 16, 2012 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/10/nj_transit_still_paying_price.html |access-date=March 30, 2013 }}

Government Accountability Office report

In March 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal agency, published a report entitled Commuter Rail Potential Impacts and Cost Estimates for the Cancelled Hudson River Tunnel Project,{{cite report |title=Commuter Rail Potential Impacts and Cost Estimates for the Cancelled Hudson River Tunnel Project |publisher=Government Accountability Office |date=March 2012 |url=http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/589192.pdf |access-date=August 15, 2012 }} which concluded that Christie's basis for cancellation was a misrepresentation and that he misstated the estimated costs, cost over-runs, and New Jersey's obligation to pay them.{{citation |last=Zernike |title=Report Disputes Christie's Basis for Halting Tunnel |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 10, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/nyregion/report-disputes-christies-reason-for-halting-tunnel-project-in-2010.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all |access-date=April 10, 2012 }}{{cite web |last=Goodyear |first=Sarah |title=How the Politics of Transportation Made Chris Christie, and Could Break Him |publisher=Atlantic Cities |date=January 9, 2014 |url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2014/01/how-politics-transportation-made-chris-christie-and-could-break-him/8063/ |access-date=March 20, 2014}}

It found that no agreement had been made as to who was responsible for cost over-runs, which Christie claimed were NJ's responsibility. While he had suggested that the project would cost up to $14 billion, NJ state officials stated that in their estimation before the cancellation it would cost around $10 billion. The report concluded that New Jersey would have been responsible for 14.4% of the costs of project, and that Christie's claim of 70% included funds committed by the PANYNJ (a bi-state agency) and a $775 million contribution to the rebuilding of the Portal Bridge, which was not in the scope of ARC project. New Jersey's funds earmarked for ARC were eventually diverted to the state transportation trust, normally funded by a gasoline tax, one of the lowest in the United States.{{citation |last=Rouse |first=Karen |title=GAO report disputes Christie's Hudson River rail tunnel fears |newspaper=The Record |date=April 10, 2012 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/ny_metro/041012_GAO_report_disputes_Christies_Hudson_River_rail_tunnel_fears.html |access-date=April 10, 2012 }}{{cite news |last=Haddon. Haddon |first=Mann, Ted |title=Christie Slammed for Tunnel Cost Estimate |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 11, 2012 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303772904577336050928741514 |access-date=December 12, 2012 }}{{cite web |last=Doig |first=Will |title=Chris Christie's gas tax foolishness |work=Salon |date=April 11, 2012 |url=http://www.salon.com/2012/04/11/chris_christies_gas_tax_foolishness/ |access-date=December 12, 2012}}

NJ Legislature, Manhattan District Attorney and SEC investigations

In a controversial move in 2011, Governor Chris Christie directed the PANYNJ to divert money originally earmarked for ARC to highway projects. The agency agreed to pay $1.8 billion to partially fund efforts to rehabilitate the Pulaski Skyway and Route 139, replace Wittpenn Bridge, and extend Route 1&9T, all part of the larger distribution network in the Port of New York and New Jersey.{{cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=Christie Outlines a Plan to Pay for Transit Work |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 6, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nyregion/07christie.html |access-date=April 7, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Boburg |first=Shawn |title=Port Authority to redirect $1.8B in tunnel funds to North Jersey road repairs |newspaper=The Record |location=Woodland Park, NJ |date=March 29, 2011 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/032911_Port_Authority_to_redirect_18B_in_tunnel_funds_to_North_Jersey_road_repairs.html |access-date=April 4, 2013}}{{cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |title=Commuters Feel Pinch as Christie Tightens |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 15, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/nyregion/in-christies-policies-pain-for-commuters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& |access-date=April 7, 2013}}{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/freight/portway/projects.shtm |title=Portway Projects |publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation |year=2010 |access-date=April 8, 2013}}{{cite web |title=FY 2013 Transportation Capital Program New Jersey Department of Transportation Projects |publisher=New Jersey Department of Transportation |url=http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/capital/tcp13/sec3/county/hudson.pdf |page=1 |access-date=April 8, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Boburg |first=Shawn |title=Christie's toll-money shuffle: Port Authority funds paying for repairs to state roads |newspaper=The Record |date=March 30, 2014 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-s-toll-money-shuffle-port-authority-funds-paying-for-repairs-to-state-roads-video-1.836409 |access-date=March 22, 2014}} A 2014 article in WNYC claimed: "According to documents and interviews with more than a dozen top-level sources, the governor made clear from the get-go that the agency would be the source of cash for New Jersey's hard-up infrastructure budget. And he and his team proceeded to wrangle billions from the bi-state authority to further his political goals — much of that for projects that had never been under the Port Authority's jurisdiction before.{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Andrea |title=How Christie's Men Turned the Port Authority into a Political Piggy Bank |url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/how-christies-men-turned-port-authority-political-piggy-bank/ |access-date=February 12, 2014 |newspaper=WNYC |date=January 16, 2014}}

In February 2014, a special joint committee of the New Jersey Legislature investigating the Fort Lee lane closure scandal subpoenaed the PANYNJ for documents related to the ARC project, specifically with regard to projected cost overruns and to discussions related to Christie's appointments to the agency.{{cite news |last=Baxter |first=Christopher |title=New bridge scandal subpoenas seek records related to Chris Christie, ARC tunnel and more |publisher=The Star-Ledger |date=February 12, 2014 |url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/02/bridge_scandal_panel_digs_deeper_into_traffic_study_claims_possible_ties_to_chris_christies_office.html#incart_river_default |access-date=February 12, 2014}}

In March 2014, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. subpoenaed records from the PANYNJ seeking correspondence among authority officials and Christie's administration regarding projects such as the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and the PATH transportation hub in lower Manhattan.{{cite news |last=Mann |first=Ted |title=New York Prosecutors Open Another Front of Scrutiny for Port Authority |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579495992389171168?ref=/new-york-main |access-date=April 12, 2014 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 11, 2014}} Vance's office has conducted interviews about the agency's funding of reconstruction of the Pulaski Skyway.{{cite news |last=Voreacos |first=David |title=Manhattan DA Said to Probe Port Authority Skyway Funding |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-12/manhattan-da-said-to-probe-port-authority-skyway-funding.html |access-date=April 12, 2014 |publisher=Bloomberg |date=April 12, 2014}} As the Port Authority's jurisdiction includes access roads to the Lincoln Tunnel but not the Holland Tunnel, the Christie administration allegedly pressured the Port Authority to classify the Skyway as an access route to the Lincoln Tunnel.{{cite news |title=SEC probing New Jersey Gov. Christie's transport funding -report |publisher=Reuters |date=April 25, 2014 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-new-jersey-sec-idUSL2N0NH1Z320140425 |access-date=April 25, 2014}}{{cite news |last=Bowling |first=Shawn |title=NYC district attorney launches wide-ranging investigation into Port Authority |publisher=The Record |date=April 12, 2014 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/nyc-district-attorney-launches-wide-ranging-investigation-into-port-authority-1.938968 |access-date=April 8, 2014}}{{cite news |last=Rashbaum |first=William |title=Another Prosecutor Is Said to Investigate Port Authority |work=The New York Times |date=April 12, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/nyregion/another-prosecutor-is-said-to-investigate-port-authority.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0 |access-date=April 12, 2014}}

In April 2014, media reported that lawyers from the New York office of the Securities and Exchange Commission were working with the Manhattan DA's office in a joint probe into the possible misuse of Port Authority funds.{{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Lisa |title=SEC Joins Manhattan DA to Probe Christie's Diversion of Port Authority Funds |publisher=Main Justice |date=April 25, 2014 |url=http://www.mainjustice.com/2014/04/25/sec-joins-manhattan-da-to-probe-christies-diversion-of-port-authority-funds/ |access-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426233656/http://www.mainjustice.com/2014/04/25/sec-joins-manhattan-da-to-probe-christies-diversion-of-port-authority-funds/ |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} NJ State Senator Ray Lesniak reportedly had sent a letter to the SEC and the Internal Revenue Service calling for an investigation into whether the diversion of money to New Jersey roads may have violated securities or tax laws.{{cite news |last=Linhorst |first=Michael |title=As U.S. attorney continues GWB probe, SEC looks into Port Authority spending |publisher=The Record |date=April 25, 2014 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/as-u-s-attorney-continues-gwb-probe-sec-looks-into-port-authority-spending-1.1003242 |access-date=April 25, 2014}} The SEC ultimately fined the PANYNJ $400,000.{{Cite web|last=Sherman|first=Ted|website=NJ.com|url=https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/port_authority_to_pay_400000_over_funding_of_skywa.html|title=Port Authority to pay $400K to settle SEC charges on Skyway project|date=January 10, 2017|access-date=December 18, 2022}} The PANYNJ conceded that it had acted negligently. The investigation also revealed that the Christie administration had already eyed the money prior to announcing the cancelation of the project in order to prevent a transportation funding crisis in NJ.{{cite news |title=SEC Raps Port Authority with Penalty, Raises Doubts About Christie's Credibility |first=John |last=Reitmeyer |url=http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/01/12/sec-raps-port-authority-with-penalty-raises-doubts-about-christie-s-credibility/ |publisher=NJ Spotlight |date=January 12, 2017 |access-date=January 15, 2017}}

Alternatives

=Gateway Project=

In February 2011 Amtrak announced its intention to build a small segment of a high-speed rail corridor called the Gateway Project to also be used by New Jersey Transit. While Amtrak acknowledged that the region represented a bottleneck in the national system, its timetable for beginning the project was advanced in part due to ARC's cancellation. The project is similar in scope, but passengers travelling from Bergen, Passaic, Rockland, and Orange counties will still require a transfer at Secaucus Junction. Rather than a deep cavern station, a new southern terminal annex, considered more integral to an expanded New York Penn Station complex, will be built. A track from the new tunnel will also connect to the existing Penn Station, allowing for use by Amtrak's Northeast Corridor through-service trains.

On May 28, 2021, the project was formally approved by the federal government;{{Cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |date=May 28, 2021 |title=At Long Last, a New Rail Tunnel Under the Hudson River Can Be Built |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/nyregion/-gateway-tunnel-biden-support.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528152357/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/nyregion/-gateway-tunnel-biden-support.html |archive-date=May 28, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Higgs |first=Larry |date=May 28, 2021 |title=Gateway project to build new Hudson River tunnels wins key federal approval |url=https://www.nj.com/news/2021/05/gateway-project-to-build-new-hudson-river-tunnels-wins-key-federal-approval.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528120917/https://www.nj.com/news/2021/05/gateway-project-to-build-new-hudson-river-tunnels-wins-key-federal-approval.html |archive-date=May 28, 2021 |access-date=May 28, 2021 |website=nj}} the Gateway Development Commission announced that the new tunnels would be completed in 2035 at a cost of $16.1 billion.{{Cite news |last=Rubinstein |first=Dana |date=August 31, 2022 |title=Commuter Tunnel Under the Hudson Won't Be Finished Until 2035 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/31/nyregion/gateway-tunnel-ny-nj-delay.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006222107/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/31/nyregion/gateway-tunnel-ny-nj-delay.html |archive-date=October 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Stoltz |first=Marsha A. |date=September 2, 2022 |title=Hudson tunnel project will be delayed by three years and cost $2B more, commission says |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2022/09/02/hudson-tunnel-project-gateway-delayed-cost/65469949007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016143538/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2022/09/02/hudson-tunnel-project-gateway-delayed-cost/65469949007/ |archive-date=October 16, 2022 |access-date=October 6, 2022 |website=NorthJersey.com}} The first contracts for the project were awarded in September 2023.{{Cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |date=2023-09-11 |title=13 Years Later, Construction to Restart on Hudson River Rail Tunnel |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/nyregion/gateway-amtrak-tunnel.html |access-date=2023-09-12 |issn=0362-4331}}

=New York City Subway extension=

File:7 subway extension and hudson yards.svg to 34th Street, on a route partially parallel to the Hudson River]]

On November 16, 2010, The New York Times reported that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration was working on a plan in lieu of the ARC tunnel, to extend the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway to Secaucus Junction. This revived previous discussions about the possible extension that were not pursued given New Jerseyans presumed preference for a "one seat ride" into Manhattan.{{Citation |last=Barbara |first=Philip |title=Opinion: ARC derailed: Weighing the alternatives |newspaper=The Record |date=November 28, 2010 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/arc_112810.html?c=y&page=2 |access-date=March 14, 2011 }}{{Cite news |last=Cassidy |first=Jack |title=Bloomberg's Game |newspaper=The New Yorker |date=April 4, 2005 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/04/04/050404fa_fact_cassidy |access-date=February 14, 2011}}{{Cite news |last=Frassinelli |first=Mike |title=Extending No. 7 subway to Secaucus could provide alternative to killed ARC tunnel |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |location=Newark |date=November 18, 2010 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/nyc_considers_extending_no_7_s.html |access-date=November 17, 2010}}

{{Cite news |last=McGeeham |first=Patrick |title=Extend a Subway Line Under the Hudson? For Two Men, It's Hardly a New Idea |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 17, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/nyregion/18tunnel.html |access-date=November 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118062737/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/nyregion/18tunnel.html |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |url-status=live}} Construction on the 7 Subway Extension saw the line extended southwest from Times Square – 42nd Street to the 34th Street – Hudson Yards station, which opened on September 13, 2015.{{cite press release |publisher=New York City Mayor's Office |date=September 13, 2015 |title=New 34 St-Hudson Yards 7 Subway Line Station Opens |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/no7_alt.html |access-date=September 26, 2015}} The new station is near the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project site and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, one block from the Hudson River.

If built, the extension would take the New York City Subway outside the city's borders for the first time. It would offer a direct rail access from New Jersey to Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, and Queens as well as connections with most other subway routes.

A subway extension would cost less than the ARC tunnel, as its eastern end would be the new subway station at Eleventh Avenue, avoiding the expensive tunnel boring work east to Herald Square. Travel times into Manhattan could be longer than under the original ARC proposal, because riders would need to transfer to the subway from New Jersey Transit trains at Secaucus. On the other hand, riders would gain direct access to Grand Central Terminal on the east side of Manhattan. This was one of the original key goals of the ARC project that the final ARC proposal didn't satisfy. The 7 route might not have the same capacity as the ARC tunnel, as trains would not be arriving at a terminal station with multiple platforms. Bloomberg had not discussed the project with either New York Governor Andrew Cuomo or Christie, and it would not automatically receive the federal funds allotted to the ARC tunnel.{{cite news |url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/16/mayor-bloomberg-explores-extending-subway-new-jersey/ |title=Mayor Bloomberg Explores Extending Subway to New Jersey |publisher=WNYC |first=Andrea |last=Bernstein |date=November 16, 2010 |access-date=November 18, 2010 |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120020352/http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/16/mayor-bloomberg-explores-extending-subway-new-jersey/ |url-status=dead }} Christie stated that he would be open to the discussion.{{cite news |title=Subway Extension Draws Support, if Not Financing |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/nyregion/24tunnel.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 23, 2010 |access-date=January 1, 2010}}

On February 2, 2011, the city's Economic Development Corporation voted to budget up to $250,000 for a feasibility study of a tunnel for the subway line extension awarded to Parsons Brinckerhoff, a major engineering firm that was working on the ARC tunnel.{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Andrea |title=City finally puts $ behind subway to New Jersey |publisher=Transportation Nation |date=February 4, 2011 |url=http://transportationnation.org/2011/02/04/city-finally-puts-behind-subway-to-new-jersey/ |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206082530/http://transportationnation.org/2011/02/04/city-finally-puts-behind-subway-to-new-jersey/ |archive-date=February 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=New York City Economic Development Commission |title=No. 7 Line Extension to Secaucus Consultant Services |publisher=scribd.com |date=February 2, 2011 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/48185181/No-7-Extension-Executive-Committee-Item-Final-Draft-2 |format=PDF |access-date=February 7, 2011}} The report was released in April 2013.{{cite news |last=Frasinelli |first=Mike |title=Plan to extend No. 7 subway from NYC to New Jersey could be back on track |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |date=April 10, 2013 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/plan_to_extend_no_7_city_subwa.html |access-date=April 10, 2013 }}{{cite news |last=Rouse |first=Karen |title=Report: Extending NY No. 7 subway line to Secaucus would accommodate commuter demand |newspaper=The Record |date=April 10, 2013 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/NY_No_7_Subway_to_Secaucus.html |access-date=April 10, 2013 }} The proposal includes the construction of the in-fill station at 10th Avenue, tunnels running along the path of the ARC tunnel, and a multi-level multi-modal addition to Secaucus Junction. A widening of the right-of way of the Northeast Corridor was considered.{{cite report |author=Parsons Brinckerhoff |title=No 7 Secaucus Extension Feasibility Analysis Final Report |publisher=NYCEDC |date=April 2013 |url=http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/No_7_Secaucus_Extension_Final_Report_April_2013.pdf |access-date=April 10, 2013 |page=1 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105204804/http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/No_7_Secaucus_Extension_Final_Report_April_2013.pdf |url-status=dead }}

The study revived hope for the project, with Mayor Bloomberg saying "Extending the 7 train to Secaucus is a promising potential solution ... and is deserving of serious consideration."{{cite report |author=Parsons Brinckerhoff |title=No 7 Secaucus Extension Feasibility Analysis Final Report |publisher=NYCEDC |date=April 2013 |url=http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/No_7_Secaucus_Extension_Final_Report_April_2013.pdf |access-date=April 10, 2013 |page=III–X |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105204804/http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/No_7_Secaucus_Extension_Final_Report_April_2013.pdf |url-status=dead }} Citing budget considerations, the director of the MTA, Joe Lhota, said that it was doubtful the extension would be built in the foreseeable future.{{Cite news |last=Haughney |first=Christine |title=MTA Chief rules out subway line to New Jersey |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 3, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/nyregion/transit-agency-chief-rules-out-new-york-new-jersey-subway.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=7%20subway%20extension&st=cse |access-date=April 4, 2012 }}

In a November 2013 Daily News opinion article, the president of the Real Estate Board of New York and the chairman of Edison Properties called for the line to be extended to Secaucus in tunnels to be shared with the Gateway Project.{{cite news |last1=Gottesman |first1=Jerry |last2=Spinola |first2=Steven |title=Let's extend the 7 train to Secaucus After the far West Side, the next stop on the 7 should be across the river |newspaper=Daily News |date=November 4, 2013 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/extend-7-train-secaucus-article-1.1504464 |access-date=November 4, 2013 |location=New York}} Later in November 2013 the New Jersey Assembly passed a Resolution 168{{cite web |title=AN ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION supporting the extension of the New York City IRT Flushing Line into the State of New Jersey. |work=ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 168 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 215th LEGISLATURE |publisher=New Jersey Legislature |date=May 13, 2013 |url=http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/AR/168_I1.PDF |access-date=November 26, 2013 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919135250/https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/AR/168_I1.PDF |url-status=dead }} supporting the extension of the line to Hoboken and Secaucus.{{cite web |last=Brenzel |first=Kathryn |title=Committee green lights expansion of NYC subway to Hoboken |publisher=NJ.com |date=November 26, 2013 |url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2013/11/no_7_expansion.html#incart_river_default |access-date=November 26, 2013}} An economic impact study by the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce is expected to be released in spring 2015{{update after|2015|06}}.{{cite news |last1=Ma |first1=Myles |title=Study into No. 7 subway extension to Secaucus announced: 7 things to know |url=http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2014/09/study_into_no_7_subway_extension_to_secaucus_announced.html |access-date=September 12, 2014 |publisher=NJ Advance Media |date=September 12, 2014}}

References

External links

{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bEM3AQAAMAAJ&q=bridge+inventory+number+rail++new+jersey&pg=SL18PA87 |title=Environmental Impact Statement |year=2008}}
{{cite news |last=Resnikoff |first=Ned |title=Christie's other traffic jam |publisher=MSNBC |date=January 26, 2014 |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/christies-other-traffic-jam}}
[http://www.arctunnel.com/ ARCTunnel.com Official website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110629042607/http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7714217 N.J. Governor Christie reconsiders canceling tunnel project] October 10, 2010 News story
[https://archive.today/20130703193336/http://www.demotix.com/news/83331/united-states-largest-transit-project-breaks-ground%23media-83328 United States' Largest Transit Project Breaks Ground] June 8, 2009 Demotix - Photo News Wire. Photos by Jim DeLillo
{{cite news |last=ONeil |first=James |title=Halt to train tunnel hurting wetlands project |publisher=The Record |date=November 20, 2010 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/105180104_Halt_to_train_tunnel_hurting_wetlands_project.html}}
[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/fundingnjtransneeds.pdf TTF proposals 2006]
[http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/04/would_tunnels_killed_by_christie_have_cured_nj_transits_ills.html Would tunnels killed by Christie have cured NJ Transit's ills?] (NJ.com article)