Washington (CNN) -- You've got to hand it to Chris Christie -- he knows how to play the game. Last week, citing potential cost overruns in the billions, the New Jersey governor stunned the political establishment by pulling the plug on the largest public transit project in the country. The sorely needed ARC (Access to the Region's Core) tunnel would create a second train tunnel beneath the Hudson River, thus doubling passenger capacity from the most densely populated state into Manhattan. In addition, the tunnel would create an estimated 6,000 construction-related jobs while also preparing the New York metro region for sustained growth in the 21st century. It would cut road congestion, reduce emissions, increase productivity and ease the strain on the only working train tunnel from New Jersey into New York, built more than a 100 years ago.
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Nation's largest public transit project canceled last week by Gov. Chris Christie
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Project would create thousands of jobs and fill needed gap in transit system, says Anthony Coley
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He says Christie said he's willing to consider alternate ways of financing tunnel
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Coley says Christie is right to protect taxpayers but should work out a compromise
Even though these overruns would occur when the economy has presumably rebounded, @placeholder is grappling with several other pressing budgetary needs.