TRENTON - Gov. Christopher Christie, with a stroke of a pen here at 11:13 a.m. Oct. 27, officially ended the current Trans Hudson Express (THE)/Access to the Region's Core (ARC) tunnel project.

Christie, citing New Jersey possibly shouldering any cost overruns, withdrew $2.7 billion from the currently projected $8.7 billion project. The state, with the Federal Transit Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were one-third partners in what would have been the largest single infrastructure project in the nation.

"Despite intense negotiations with federal and state participants," said Christie (R-Mendham) in his release, no agreement was reached on terms that would assure New Jersey's taxpayers would not pay more than $2.7 billion. Federal cost estimates range from $9.8 to $12.7 billion . . . not including $775 million that (the state) would be required to spend to build the Portal Bridge South, an integral part of the ARC project."

MONTCLAIR - The DeCamp Bus Lines drivers strike, barring any late-breaking news from a Roseland attorney's office, appears headed for an eighth day here and beyond Sept. 9.

One Sept. 7 report has stated that representatives of DeCamp and the Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO Local 1317 were to meet with Desmond Massey at 10 a.m. Massey may attempt to mediate between the sides to restart an 18-month contract negotiations process that had broken down Sept. 1.

Local officials John A. Costa and Jorge Maldonado said that 85 percent of their 100 members voted to strike late Sept. 1. They said they are asking for a 45 cent-per-hour wage increase and a partial restoration of health benefits as part of a five-year contract. The previous contract had expired in September.

BLOOMFIELD - A township rider has apparently found, after an abbreviated Aug. 6 ride on a local New Jersey Transit-contracted bus, that a cash fare cannot be recalled once it is paid. The driver, furthermore, should have had her identification placard in place in case the rider needed the information for a possible complaint letter.

Those two items is what Local Talk has learned from while witnessing the dispute on a northbound bus on the No. 709 route. The argument aboard the 7 p.m. run from Bloomfield Town Centre to Paramus brought three township police officers to Broad Street just north of Belleville Avenue.

The 709 Bloomfield-Paramus bus route is one of 17 that NJTransit contracts its operations to Community Coach, of Paramus. Community Coach, which also runs the No. 77 Morristown - Port Authority Bus Terminal interstate route through Essex County, is an arm of Coach USA. The 705 Passaic - Willowbrook Mall, Wayne route, which goes through Bloomfield and Montclair, is also operated by CC for NJTransit.

NEWARK - Aug. 3 at 9:30 a.m. here at the local state Motor Vehicle Commission agency looked like most any other early weekday morning of the month - except when it came to the actual inspection itself.

About 70 people stood in line within the agency office at 228 Frelinghuysen Ave., service numbers and documents in hand, for the agency receptionist. The receptionist is usually the first stop for most people who need to attain, renew or resolve their licenses, registrations and/or titles. One woman was overheard on her cell phone while leaving the large room as saying that the "number's up to 35 and I'm No. 107 - so I'll be back in a few minutes."