Transportation Funding
How and where we invest in our transportation infrastructure has a major impact on growth and development patterns in the state.
Expanding roads and highways often leads to low-density auto-oriented development in suburban and exurban areas, while investing in mass transit in already developed communities can lead to urban revitalization and redevelopment — as has happened, for example, along the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line. In general, New Jersey Future supports the maintenance of existing infrastructure over expanding capacity (a policy known as fix-it-first), as well as an equitable distribution of funding between roads and alternative forms of transportation such as mass transit and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. New Jersey Future is also a strong supporter of “Complete Streets,” a policy that calls for accommodating all users, not just drivers, when designing a new road or retrofitting an old one.
Despite all the health benefits of biking, walking or using transit, the House of Representatives’ proposed transportation re-authorization bill falls short on these key transportation needs.
Greg Kelly, transportation president at Parsons Brinckerhoff, hosted a breakfast for Young Professionals in Transportation – NYC, and spoke at length about his professional experiences, the current state of our infrastructure and the future of large projects.
Two of New Jersey’s top transportation officials stress the importance of transit-oriented development and the state’s Transit Villages program.
Of Forbes’ list of top 10 cities for public transportation, five are in New Jersey, including the top city, Hoboken.
After being restored to the budget that was passed by the Legislature last week, funding for the Department of Transportation’s Transit Village program was removed from the FY 2012 spending plan signed by Gov. Chris Christie on June 30.
An assessment of how comprehensively New Jersey’s Department of Transportation has implemented its Complete Streets Policy. September 2011.
Sept. 25, 2010 — Given the transportation needs of the region, and the physical constraints within which this tunnel must be built, the choice is not between the ARC project and some perfectly crafted alternative, it is between this project and no project — and that is really no choice at all.
Jan. 6, 2011 — New Jersey’s transportation trust fund should be funded from a stable and sustainable source, and the governor’s proposal represents an opportunity to focus on outcomes and to evaluate how the state funds its entire transportation system.
Oct. 27, 2010 — The decision to terminate the ARC Tunnel project will have a negative effect on New Jersey commuters and will diminish the state’s long-term potential for economic growth.
Oct. 20, 2010 — New Jersey Future is part of a coalition of 31 business, labor, environmental, transportation, planning and nonprofit groups that is urging Gov. Chris Christie to move forward with the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) tunnel project.
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Reports, Presentations and Testimony
- 03/30/2011: Testimony: Preserve Transit Villages in Transportation Capital Plan
- Sheehan-Mans JOINT STATEMENT ON ARC TUNNEL
- Pocino statement on ARC 10 08 10
- ARC Information Sheet 9-10
- 04-03-2009 Letter to DEP re Global Warming Solutions Fund Rules
- 04-02-2009 Testimony re Proposed Cuts in NJ Transit Budget
- Presentation: Re-Funding Transportation Trust Fund 05-11
- 09-20-2010 Testimony on ARC Tunnel
- 10-04-2010 Testimony on Transportation Trust Fund ARC Tunnel
- Monmouth University Poll
- ARC Support Letter to Christie 09-14-10
- NJ Transit RFQ for Parking Concession 10-10
