Chris Christie Says As President He'd Build Hudson Tunnel He Canceled As Governor

The "You Can't Handle The Truth" tour continues from Chris Christie.

Following yesterday's refusal to respond to a NY Times reporter who asked if Christie cares about NJ Transit riders after numerous delays on the transit system this week comes this news:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who killed a plan to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River several years ago, said that if elected president, he'd make sure the tunnel is built.

"If I am President of the United States, I call a meeting [with] my secretary of transportation, the governor of New York, and the governor of New Jersey and say, ‘Listen if we are all in this even steven, if we are all going to put in an equal share, then let’s go build these tunnels under the Hudson River,'" he said during a taped interview with host Larry Kudlow that will air on WABC on Saturday.

The existing tunnels, operated by Amtrak, are not only near capacity but were flooded and severely damaged during Hurrican Sandy. Amtrak C.E.O. Joseph Boardman said in 2014 that the tunnels were good for "something less than 20 years." NJ Transit riders faced delays Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because of problems with the tunnels.

An $8.7 billion project, called Access to the Region's Core, would have doubled the number of cross-Hudson rail tunnels using federal and state funds. Christie's predecessor, Jon Corzine, had broken ground on it in 2009. In 2010, however, Christie made the unilateral decision to shut it down.

Add today to the list of days with delays on NJ Transit this week.

Hey, that's only four out of five days of nightmarish rush hour commuting under Christie.

What's four out of five bad days when we have one good one?

And now Christie promises to push for the tunnel, so long as the funding scheme is to his satisfaction and he's, you know, elected president.

Given that it will take about 20 years to complete a tunnel, that should be swell for New Jersey commuters facing four out of five nightmarish commutes a week.