Krugman: The End of the Tunnel

[depakid]

The Erie Canal. Hoover Dam. The Interstate Highway System. Visionary public projects are part of the American tradition, and have been a major driver of our economic development. And right now, by any rational calculation, would be an especially good time to improve the nation’s infrastructure. We have the need: our roads, our rail lines, our water and sewer systems are antiquated and increasingly inadequate. We have the resources: a million-and-a-half construction workers are sitting idle, and putting them to work would help the economy as a whole recover from its slump. And the price is right: with interest rates on federal debt at near-record lows, there has never been a better time to borrow for long-term investment.

But American politics these days is anything but rational. Republicans bitterly opposed even the modest infrastructure spending contained in the Obama stimulus plan. And, on Thursday, Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, canceled America’s most important current public works project, the long-planned and much-needed second rail tunnel under the Hudson River.

It was a destructive and incredibly foolish decision on multiple levels. But it shouldn’t have been all that surprising. We are no longer the nation that used to amaze the world with its visionary projects. We have become, instead, a nation whose politicians seem to compete over who can show the least vision, the least concern about the future and the greatest willingness to pander to short-term, narrow-minded selfishness.

So, about that tunnel: with almost 1,200 people per square mile, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in America, more densely populated than any major European nation. Add in the fact that many residents work in New York, and you have a state that can’t function without adequate public transportation. There just isn’t enough space for everyone to drive to work.

But right now there’s just one century-old rail tunnel linking New Jersey and New York — and it’s running close to capacity. The need for another tunnel couldn’t be more obvious.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/opinion/08krugman.html?hp

[Jester Messiah]

1. I'm reminded of a great old Doonesbury line.

"Why is it that every time you people dig yourselves into a hole you insist on calling it a tunnel?"

[BlancheSplanchnik]

2. very sad, what the US has become.

"It was a destructive and incredibly foolish decision on multiple levels. But it shouldn’t have been all that surprising. We are no longer the nation that used to amaze the world with its visionary projects. We have become, instead, a nation whose politicians seem to compete over who can show the least vision, the least concern about the future and the greatest willingness to pander to short-term, narrow-minded selfishness."

:(

[Kolesar]

3. Senator Lautenberg: It's Time To Put The Tunnel Back On Track

Press Release of Senator Lautenberg
Lautenberg: It's Time To Put The Tunnel Back On Track

Project Vital To New Jersey's Future

Contact: Lautenberg Press Office [phone]
Friday, October 8, 2010

http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=328210

NEWARK, N.J. – Today, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) reacted to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s reversal of yesterday’s decision to kill the ARC tunnel project and news that he will restart negotiations for an additional two weeks. The reversal comes following a meeting between Governor Christie and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“I expect the Governor to now work in good faith with the federal government to move this project forward,” Lautenberg said. “Governor Christie needs to put politics aside and work on behalf of New Jersey commuters to get this tunnel back on track.”

The ARC Tunnel is slated to receive $3 billion in federal funds, the largest federal contribution to a mass transit project in the history of the nation, and $3 billion from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Senator Lautenberg yesterday made it clear that the $3 billion in federal funding slated for the ARC project cannot be redirected to New Jersey projects and will go to other states if the project is halted.

“The Secretary was clear with Governor Christie: if this tunnel doesn't get built, the three billion dollars will go to other states. We can’t allow that to happen,” Lautenberg said.

Because New Jersey has already spent $300 million in federal funds on the tunnel project, canceling the project now would mean the state has to repay the federal government.

If completed, the ARC Tunnel project would double commuter rail capacity by adding two new single-track tunnels – supplementing the existing, 100-year old rail tunnel that is now pushed to its functional limit each commuting day. Twice as many passengers would be accommodated, from 45,000 each morning peak period now to 90,000 in the future. This would get 22,000 cars off the roads every day and eliminate nearly 70,000 tons of harmful greenhouse gasses gases every year.

The project has the potential to create 6,000 construction related jobs a year, and 44,000 permanent jobs once completed. In addition, the new tunnel has been projected to significantly increase home values for many New Jerseyans. Homes in Bergen County within two miles of a train station were projected to increase in value by $19,000, and homes within walking distance of a train station would increase by an average of $29,000. The cumulative increase in home values in the region would grow by $18 billion over eight years.

[kristopher]

5. Good to know, thanks. nt

[XemaSab]

4. This is exactly what I was talking about in the "Predict the Future" thread

There seems to be a collective "meh" on the part of the citizenry and the politicians.

[txlibdem]

6. The total cost is $8.7 Billion for a 9-mile distance

That just seems a little pricey to me. With the economy in the dumps there should be some reduced costs to be found somewhere. It seems like this project is paying top dollar and only getting two regular train tracks that go a distance of 9 miles. That's almost a Billion Dollars per mile!

I know there are tunnels involved and not just 9 miles of track but... sheesh! That's a big pile of money.

The project, running 9 miles from Kearny Yards, NJ to 34th St in Manhattan, will break the trans-Hudson traffic bottleneck, ensuring New Jersey and the region stay competitive.

. . .snip. . .

The Port Authority is contributing $3 billion toward the Mass Transit Tunnel project cost, while the federal government will contribute $3 billion under its “New Starts” transit funding program. Another $2.7 billion will come from a combination of other federal funds, including stimulus and clean air funding, as well as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s contribution.

http://www.arctunnel.com/pdf/news/Tunnel%20Info%20Kit_Dec2009_single%20page%20layout.pdf

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. That cost includes the new underground station in Manhattan

Yeah, building things underground in cities, when you have to work around all the existing stuff, is expensive. Crossrail in London, which will link up some existing track and build some new stations, involves 21km of new tunnels under central London. The current cost is put at £16 billion.