By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Three weeks after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed a massive commuter train tunnel project that would expand rail service between north Jersey and midtown Manhattan, he scrapped it again on Wednesday.
Christie originally cancelled what would have been America's largest public works project on Oct. 7, citing projected overruns of up to $5 billion beyond the $8.7 billion budget.
But a day later US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood convinced Christie to give the project a grace period while federal officials sought ways to offset the cost for New Jersey.
On Wednesday, Christie decided the grace period was up for the project dubbed Access to the Region's Core, or ARC.
"It's a dollars and sense issue. I cannot place upon the citizens of the state of New Jersey an open-ended letter of credit," Christie said, according to The Star Ledger.
The initial budget for the now two-decade-old pursuit was estimated at $2.8 billion, reported The Ledger. According to the governor's office, the most recent projection was more than $12 billion.
The state of New Jersey had committed $2.7 billion to the project, with the federal government and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey each having allocated $3 billion.
