Transit Woes Await Murphy in January
Governor-elect Phil Murphy pledged to build a "world-class transportation infrastructure" in New Jersey after years of neglect. He will get a chance to implement that expensive and logistically complex promise come Jan.
Me, "What I think everybody is forgetting is the toll increases on the NJ Turnpike that were supposed to go to building ARC. Now with the gas tax raised in NJ, to help build road projects, the money raised from the increase in NJ Transit tolls should be used for transit projects like Gateway."
From article, (One of the most critical infrastructure projects facing Murphy is the completion of the Gateway Project, a sub-Hudson River tunnel that would boost rail capacity between New York and New Jersey and help alleviate congestion in the overcrowded and outdated current tunnels. The federal government has approved $900 million in federal funds next year for the project — but much more is needed, and the Trump administration has not indicated it will provide the money.
During the campaign, Murphy also advocated for a new Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, another expensive project that will improve the decades-old transit hub.
“I think there is complete agreement that Gateway and the new bus terminal are ‘1’ and ‘1A’ on the priority list,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), a vocal advocate for increased transportation infrastructure and more transparency at the Port Authority and NJ Transit.
Ironically, Gov. Chris Christie, whom Murphy blasted repeatedly during the campaign for neglecting NJ Transit, will be leaving the next administration a gift-wrapped funding source for roads, rails and bridges. Christie raised the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon in 2016, a move that raised revenue for the depleted TTF but that turned out to be unpopular with residents. Murphy will benefit from Christie’s move, reaping billions from the new tax and a bond issue that was attached to fund transit upgrades over eight years.)
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