Published: Monday, February 07, 2011, 4:26 PM     Updated: Monday, February 07, 2011, 7:11 PM

Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau


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Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau


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toll-plazas.JPGView looking south as cars file through the toll booths on the Garden State Parkway southbound through the Essex toll plaza. Gov. Chris Christie slammed Democratic efforts to roll back a toll increase originally implemented to fund the now-canceled ARC tunnel.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie slammed Democratic efforts to roll back a toll increase that was meant to fund the canceled ARC tunnel.

“This is such rank, immature and dangerous politics that is being played,” Christie said. “This is wreaking havoc. It is irresponsible. They’re doing it absolutely for transparent political purposes.”

A portion of the toll increases, about $1.25 billion, were passed under former Gov. Jon Corzine to fund a rail tunnel under the Hudson River, known as the Access to the Regions Core. Christie canceled the ARC tunnel and instead plans to use the funds to beef up the Transportation Trust Fund, trumpeting his spending proposal as fiscally responsible and including no toll or tax hikes.

To respond, Democrats in the Legislature started the process to roll back the toll increases, saying if they weren’t funding the ARC tunnel they shouldn’t be used at all.

Christie said the efforts to roll back the increases is scaring investors, who bought the bonds that will be repaid using the toll increases. He called the move to roll them back purely political and said the Turnpike Authority’s ability to borrow money in the future could be affected.

“Stop playing games because there could be real costs that go along with

Article source: http://feeds.stateline.org/~r/StatelineorgRss-Transportation/~3/74K3R7wbwTQ/christie_slams_nj_democrats_ef.html