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The Commissioner's Report
(archived)
Demands
on New Jersey roads,
bridges outstrip available resources
In 1984 New Jersey lawmakers
put an end to years of neglect
and chronic underfunding in
the state's highways, railroads
and bus systems by creating
the Transportation Trust Fund.
Twenty years later, the Transportation
Trust Fund has pumped over
$13.3 billion into New Jersey's
transportation infrastructure,
facilitating the state's sustained
economic growth, supporting
hundreds of thousands of jobs
in construction, manufacturing
and engineering and helping
to protect our quality of
life.
To maintain that progress,
however, will pose new challenges.
Home to 8.5 million residents,
3.7 million workers and nearly
6 million licensed drivers,
New Jersey's population is
expected to grow by 1.4 million
(16 percent) and add nearly
a million more jobs by 2020.
To support that growth without
diminishing our quality of
life, New Jersey will need
$4.8 billion a year to repair
and expand our highways, bridges
and public transit systems.
Roads and bridges designed
during the 1920s and 1930s
must be modernized to accommodate
today's traffic and higher
speeds. A billion dollars
a year for the next 10 years
will be required to rehabilitate
our network of Interstate
Highways and state roads.
Should funding continue at
current levels while traffic
volume grows even heavier,
the portion of our state highway
system rated in "acceptable"
condition will decline from
60 percent today to 27 percent
within 10 years.
Another $7 billion will be
needed over a decade to repair
or replace all of our substandard
bridges. Replacing the Route
7 Wittpenn Bridge carries
a $322 million pricetag, while
the Route 3 Passaic River
bridge and the Route 72 Manahawkin
Bay Bridge are expected to
cost $200 million each to
replace.
The needs extend beyond simple
highway and bridge repairs,
but also include:
- $550
million for congestion relief
initiatives, such as redesigning
bottlenecks, eliminating
traffic circles, building
new park and rides and supporting
Transit Villages
- $80
million a year for critical
highway safety improvements
- $34
million for aviation safety
and preserving the state's
dwindling network of general
aviation airports
- $22
million in maritime funding
to dredge navigable channels,
facilitate the rebirth of
ferry service and develop
a new containerized cargo
distribution system
- $40
million for bicycle and
pedestrian safety and improvements
And the state's Local Aid
program, which has generated
$2.1 billion for county and
municipal projects over the
past 20 years, must be infused
with new capital to enable
local governments to undertake
important street, road and
bridge repairs without relying
on property taxes.
The cost of all this work
must continue to be shared
equally between the state
and federal governments. And
the NJDOT must continue investing
its capital resources wisely
and efficiently, such as through
its new pavement maintenance
program. But current and future
demands on our state and local
roads and bridges far outstrip
the resources available.
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