Christie Throws Amtrak Under the Bus He Is Driving
This spring is shaping up to be one of the worst ever for New Jersey Transit commuters. Not only did they have to endure a pair of derailments in Penn Station, but this past Friday, a train was stalled inside one of the North River Tunnels for over two hours. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s office released […]
New Jersey: Vote Yes on Question 2
Question 2 is not controversial. There is no “Vote No on 2” coalition or campaign to speak of. And that’s because most New Jerseyans — like voters across the country — support the idea that money collected through gas taxes should be used for transportation purposes. If Question 2 is passed, every penny collected through the state […]
Just Another Seven Days in the Garden State
In numerology, the number seven is “the seeker, the thinker, the searcher of the Truth… seven doesn’t take anything at face value.” If you’ve been following transportation news in New Jersey, you probably shouldn’t either. The last seven days have been packed with the passage of new legislation, new developments surrounding the deadly crash at Hoboken Terminal, […]
Over a Month Later, and There’s Still No Solution for New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund Crisis
Governor Chris Christie and the New Jersey Legislature should have settled on a solution for replenishing the Transportation Trust Fund by now. It’s been one month since the TTF dried up, and the Garden State is still without transportation funding — or even a foreseeable solution. The past six weeks have been rather rocky for the governor and the […]
This Is What Happens When Lawmakers Won’t Raise a Gas Tax That Hasn’t Seen an Increase in 28 Years
After issuing an Executive Order calling for the temporary shutdown of capital projects funded by New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, Governor Christie (well, acting governor Kim Guadagno – Christie is currently in Italy) released the list of projects impacted by the order. The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s list is 43 pages long and includes municipalities in […]
Transportation: The Game Board Upon Which Governor Christie’s Agenda Is Played
“Transportation is the game board upon which the economy is played.” – Former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere. Our transportation network is how we get to work. It’s how products are moved. It’s the backbone of the economy. But Governor Christie doesn’t seem to think so. Throughout his tenure as governor, Christie has failed to make transportation […]
New Jersey Legislators Propose Tax Changes to Replenish Transportation Trust Fund
A plan for replenishing New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund — which runs dry in less than three weeks — was unveiled today by Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and other leading Assembly Democrats. The proposal calls for $2 billion in annual spending for 10 years, and aims to double transportation aid to local governments. From the Assembly […]
Running on Empty: Governor Christie Offers No Solutions for Transportation Trust Fund Crisis
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has once again denied that a transportation funding crisis exists, but this time, it was in his annual budget address. By relegating the Transportation Trust Fund’s insolvency to a “politically driven” crisis, the governor has demonstrated that he is willing to ignore simple math. Although Governor Christie did mention his previous five-year capital program, […]
Watch the Gap, Because It Just Got Even Wider
New Jersey Transit’s operating budget gap for 2017 is getting wider, and fast. In October, Tri-State estimated the 2017 budget gap to be approaching $400 million. Now, the latest estimate is $425 million. Why? A 2016 expiration of a $295 million cash infusion from New Jersey Turnpike toll revenue previously earmarked for the Access to the […]
New Jersey 2015: Looking Back on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Transportation in New Jersey finally got some attention but very little love in 2015. Governor Chris Christie and the New Jersey Legislature failed to acknowledge dwindling transportation funding in the state budget, top transportation officials left their posts, NJ Transit riders faced their fifth fare hike since 2000 and drivers have enjoyed the lowest gas prices in years (along with […]