Funding Transportation Is Vital To New Jersey's Economy

by Assembly Assistant Majority Leader John S. Wisniewski Chairman, Assembly Transportation Committee

   Our Garden State is a small place into which more than 8 million people are crammed. Despite being the most densely populated political subdivision in the world, New Jersey is a beautiful and diverse place. We have the lush quiet Pinelands and a roaring economy.
   New Jersey's economic engine has made it the wealthiest state in the nation. Our state is literally at the crossroads of the nation's economy. Many goods being shipped in and out of this nation pass through our state, across our roads and over our rails. That economic activity, and the economic activity of surrounding states, are dependent on sound and reliable transportation networks. There are 2,350 miles of state maintained roadways and 2,518 state bridges. There are more than 300 miles of roadways controlled by the state's Toll Road Authorities. The state's Transportation Agency, NJ Transit, operates 609 daily trains on 12 rail lines covering 849 miles of track, not to mention bus service and light rail service. On top of that our ports and rail terminals provide a vital link for the shipment of goods in and out of this state.
   All of this infrastructure is vital to keeping New Jersey's economy humming. If we maintain and improve this infrastructure, we will help maintain and improve this state's economic activity. If we let it deteriorate, so will our economy.
   The Assembly Transportation Committee has been very busy over the past 15 months. Members of the committee and I have listened to testimony on the EZ-Pass debacle and heard the story of the South Jersey Light Rail Line. Those hearings uncovered mismanagement of government resources and led to legislation to prevent such problems in the future. While New Jersey's transportation resources are not meager, there is no room for waste. Every transportation dollar that is not wisely used to improve and build our transportation infrastructure is a wasted opportunity for the people of New Jersey. The Assembly Transportation Committee wants to make sure that those resources are used wisely.
   But the business of transporation policy is not just the work of the Transportation Committee or the General Assembly. Certainly both the committee and the Assembly must vote on transportation legislation, but that legislation can only work with the support of the transportation community. Since being appointed chairman of the Transportation Commitee I have spent time meeting with representatives from labor and the business community to work together to help formulate sound transportation policy that not only works today, but policy that works for many years in the future.
   One such piece of sound transportation policy is the consolidation of toll roads. Currently the legislative is in the process of reviewing and approving legislation I have sponsored that will consolidate the New Jersey Highway Authority and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. While I may be the Assembly sponsor of this legislation, the proposal owes its existence to the vision of Governor McGreevey. For many years the consolidation of these two toll roads has been talked about. It took the work of Governor McGreevey to bring the necessary people together to make it a reality. In the end, this consolidation will save $10 million every year, providing needed resources for infrastructure improvements while avoiding a toll increase. But sound transportation policy is not simply about rearranging the way government does its business. While that is important, there is much more. At the heart of the matter in New Jersey is that we need to have the funds to spend on transportation projects. Without money, no policy and no plans can be implemented.
   New Jersey has a Transportation Trust Fund that will spend over $1 billion in fiscal year 2004. Taking into account federal grants to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit, New Jersey's total capital funding for fiscal year 2004 will be $2.5 billion. The Office of Management and Budget estimates that for each $100 million spent investing in New Jersey's transportation infrastructure nearly 4,000 jobs are created. When you do the math, it is an astounding calculation. But that vital part of our economy - transportation - must continue to be funded. The existing mechanism for state funding of transportation infrastructure expires in 2004. If we fail to act, we will not only lose jobs created through transportation infrastructure work, we will also begin to lose the economic activity that depends on New Jersey's reliable air, port, rail and road network.
    How that funding mechanism is maintained is important. I know that the governor and DOT Commissioner Lettiere are working hard on finding pragmatic solutions. But as I said earlier, the business of transportation policy is not just the work of the governor, the Transportation Committee or the General Assembly. The transportation community has a vital stake in this as well. Over the next several months I will be meeting with stake holders throughout the state to work to develop a consensus on creating a sound and long term transportation funding mechanism that will be fair and stand the test of time. I look forward to working with you toward that goal.