New Jersey Governor Chris Christie applied the coup de grace Thursday to a new rail tunnel already under construction between the Garden State and the Empire State.
The tunnel was supposed to double the capacity of NJ Transit to deliver commuters to New York City by 2016 or 2017.
But after saying earlier this week "We're broke," Governor Christie announced new estimates put the cost of finishing the tunnel at billions more than the $8.7 Billion estimate used when then-Governor Jon Corzine broke ground just over a year ago.
While dozens of hard hats have been working on the New Jersey side since then, one source told NBC New York this move also spells the end for some 350 white collar jobs in downtown Newark, including as many as 300 engineers.
He described the atmosphere there as "grim, especially in this job market."
But the Governor said the alternative would be to raise taxes in what he called "the highest taxed state in the nation," and that he would not do -- and thus his decision to kill the project.
Follow Brian Thompson on Twitter @brian4NY
