On
March 3, I joined with NJ TRANSIT Executive Director
George Warrington to announce a proposed $2.58 billion
capital program for the Department of Transportation
and NJ TRANSIT that advances Governor McGreevey's anti-sprawl
"Smart Growth" initiative, while supporting
over 100,000 jobs.
The
program, which has been presented to the Legislature
for its approval, would be funded with $1.16 billion
in state funding and $1.42 billion in federal funding.
In a time of fiscal crisis, Governor McGreevey has maintained
the state's commitment to transportation infrastructure.
The Governor's budget will enable NJDOT to fund 'Fix
It First' projects, enhance safety and improve the quality-of-life
for working families throughout the State.
Among
others, the $1.3 billion for NJDOT projects will provide
$183 million for safety and roadway preservation, $126
million for congestion relief, and $290 million for
bridge repairs. The $1.3 billion for NJ TRANSIT will
provide $222 million for rail infrastructure, $172 million
for new locomotives and rail cars, and more than $100
million for safety and other service improvements.
Major
NJDOT projects include the reconstruction of sections
of I-80 in Bergen County and I-295 in Camden and Burlington
counties. For the second year in a row, just 4% of the
overall program will be used for highway expansion projects,
significantly lower than the 20 percent level of previous
programs. The same amount of work is on the street.
We have simply redirected the funds towards projects
that repair and improve the infrastructure we already
have.
To
encourage Smart Growth and redevelopment in urban and
older suburban areas, our program will advance a series
of projects that would increase mobility and accessibility,
such as improved access from I-280 to downtown Newark
and from I-676 to downtown Camden. Substantial funding
is proposed for the reconstruction of the Holland Tunnel
approaches in Jersey City.
The
program also proposes $265 million in Local Aid support
for county and municipal road projects. As part of the
program, $5 million is set aside for urban areas and
$3 million is proposed for transportation improvements
for communities designated as "centers of place"
under the State Development and Redevelopment Guide
Plan.
Safety
improvements are addressed in the proposed program through
a series of short-term and long-term highway intersection
projects designed to reduce accidents and traffic circle
elimination projects.
The
proposed program is aggressive and it will satisfy many
of New Jersey's transportation needs. However, this
year alone there will still be more than $2 billion
worth of unfunded NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT project that
are ready to go to construction. These are needs that
will go unmet.
I
am committed to securing additional funding for critical
transportation projects. We will have an excellent opportunity
with the reauthorization of the federal Transportation
Enhancement Act (TEA 21) and with the renewal of the
State's Transportation Trust Fund. We have proposed
a significant program for FY'04, and we will work very
hard with every level of government to ensure we have
the resources to fund more in the future.
