The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Once-in-a-generation overhaul of the region’s infrastructure
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Fort Lee NJ, following a month-long public comment period, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners today approved the agency’s $9.4 billion 2025 budget, which includes $4.1 billion in operating expenses, $3.6 billion in capital expenses, and $1.7 billion for debt service and deferred expenses.
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Fort Lee NJ , the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that the agency’s commercial airports soared to new heights over the first half of 2024, recording their busiest January-June first half ever. The period was capped by the busiest June on record for the region’s commercial airports. The Port of New York and New Jersey cemented its status as the nation’s second-busiest container port for loaded imports and exports, moving over 2.8 million loaded TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the first six months of the year, while traffic at the Port Authority’s vehicular crossings achieved strong volumes seen in prior years. The PATH commuter rail continued its steady recovery, hitting a post-pandemic high of 70 percent of pre-pandemic ridership levels.
Continue reading Port Authority Says Airports Recorded their Busiest January-June first half Ever
file photo
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Fort Lee NJ, on Saturday the George Washington Bridge experienced significant traffic disruptions after a person climbed one of the towers on the New York side. The lanes that were closed due to this incident have now reopened, but traffic remains heavily congested.
Continue reading George Washington Bridge Lanes Reopened After “Bridge Climber” Incident
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Fort Lee NJ, starting this Sunday, Port Authority will raise tolls on bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey.
Continue reading Tolls Go Up on All Port Authority Bridges and Tunnels This Sunday !
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Newark NJ, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today that nearly 14 million travelers are expected to use its airports and vehicular crossings during the 13-day peak travel period from Thursday, Dec. 21, to Tuesday, Jan. 2. The Port Authority expects this to be the busiest Christmas and New Year travel period ever for its three major airports, a continuation of travel trends seen throughout the year.
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Fort Lee NJ, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced its facility volumes at the agency’s regional airports, bridges and tunnels, PATH commuter rail and seaport for the month of May 2023.
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Fort Lee NJ, To accommodate passengers and motorists traveling during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that non-emergency repair projects at its vehicular crossings will be suspended from 5 a.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 to 6.
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Fort Lee NJ, according to the Port Authority Police a body was pulled from the Hudson River on Sunday afternoon has been ruled a possible suicide, Port Authority patrol officers spotted an abandoned vehicle on the lower level of the New Jersey-bound George Washington Bridge, and found a man’s driver license in the car.
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Fort Lee NJ, Four men were charged today for their roles in a scheme to steal catalytic converters from vehicles in New Jersey and transport the stolen goods to New York, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Continue reading Four Men Arrested for Interstate Catalytic Converter Thefts
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Fort Lee NJ, a New York man was charged today with conspiring to kidnap and hold for ransom a Fort Lee, New Jersey, resident, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Continue reading Fourth Man Charged with Conspiring to Kidnap Fort Lee Man
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Fort Lee NJ, Port Authority of New York and Jersey Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton called on the federal government to provide the Port Authority with $3 billion in direct financial assistance to avoid the devastating impact of sharp revenue losses to the agency’s critically important capital construction projects. The agency has projected revenue losses of $3 billion over 24 months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal aid will protect the agency’s capital plan – and by doing so, to help drive the region’s and the nation’s economic recovery.
Continue reading Port Authority of New York and Jersey Seeks $3 Billion Federal Bailout
photo Chairman Kevin O’Toole
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Fort Lee NJ, Today the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released its six-month financial results which revealed an approximately $777 million decline in revenues through June 30, 2020 as compared to the agency’s budget, with additional losses against 2020 Budget expected through the balance of the year. Since the full force of the Covid-19 crisis started in March, the agency’s revenue loss has averaged $240 million per month as compared to budget. Based on these results, together with the forward-looking forecasts, the Port Authority continues to project a $3 billion loss in revenues for the 24-month period ending March 2022.
Continue reading Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Posts Single Worst Quarter on Record
By Craig McCarthy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 26, 2016 at 4:36 PM, updated October 26, 2016 at 5:08 PM
Police charged 10 people Wednesday in a protest on the George Washington Bridge that closed lanes and caused extensive delays during morning rush hour.
One of the protesters was a New Jersey resident, according to Port Authority police spokesman Joe Pentangelo. The eight were from New York and one was from California.
The immigrants’ rights demonstration stopped upper-level traffic completely for about 15 minutes before police arrested the protesters, who chained themselves to the bridge, blocking three lanes.
The demonstration caused up to 90-minute delays for drivers heading into the New York City. All lanes were reopened by 8:50 a.m.
The following people were charged in New York with reckless endangerment and criminal trespass:
Christina Fox, 27 , Oceanside, Calif
Felix Cepeda, 35, Bronx, N.Y.
Diego Ibanez, 27, Brooklyn, NY
Karl Kumodz, 25, Brooklyn NY
Elana Gold-24, Brooklyn, NY
Claudia Palacios, 27, Brooklyn, NY
Jeremy Weissman, 22, Jericho, NY
Virgilio Aran, 38, East Orange, NJ
Juan Romero, 25, Queens, NY
Marco Abendano, 31, Bronx, NY
NEW YORK — The list of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s top 10 highest paid executives has changed dramatically since last year, with several substitutions, raises among most holdovers, and the agency’s head lawyer knocking the executive director off the top spot.
The top 10 list looks at base salaries, a figure that can be deceptive at an agency where some Port Authority Police officers more than double their overall pay with overtime.
And even employees barred from overtime pay, including all 10 executives on the top-10 salary list, can manage to earn more when all payments are factored in.
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/port_authority_top_10_salaries_in_2016.html
October 12,2016
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Ridgewood NJ, the staff of the Ridgewood blog is made up of many long-time commuters , so we have been ,to say the least, a bit skeptical this entire “Bridgegate ” or “Bridgeapolooza” episode. The reality is that the GWB has huge traffic jams averaging over 1-hour delays during rush hour every day.
The Port Authority is hardly and paragon of virtue it’s often been the dumping ground for on the lamb public employees from New York and New Jersey and New York and New Jersey can hardly claim the mantle of puritanicalism both states seem more often than not to be mired in corruption.
In recent “Bridgegate” not only did former Port Authority Official, David Wildstein, told Bill Baroni’s attorney, Michael Baldassare, that Governor Christie’s staff asked him to produce a list of Port Authority employees so that Democrats could be purged, just weeks after starting his $150,000-a-year job at the Port Authority in 2010.
Wildstien also claimed under oath he told Governor Christie about the lane closing. The prosecution’s star witness claimed Gov. Chris Christie was told of the traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in the midst of the gridlock in Fort Lee in September 2013, and that Christie laughed when he heard about it.
Community Activist Bill Brennan found a way to file a lawsuit in Bergen County court against Governor Christie based upon Wildstein’s testimony.
Brennan says ,”There’s a statute in New Jersey, the Official Misconduct statute, which says that a public servant is guilty of official misconduct for the purpose to deprive another of a benefit or obtain a benefit for himself. If he refrains from taking an action that’s clearly inherent in the nature of his office. Clearly inherent in the nature in the office of the Governor is opening those lanes when you’ve been told they’re closed.
Tomorrow morning the Governor of NJ faces charges for something we all know he did. I fear life in a country where the government harms law-abiding citizens in fits of pettiness and revenge. It scares me to know that people are being coerced by officials who brag that they can destroy the lives of anyone who refuses their demands. It terrifies me that this is all out in the open and I might be alone in an open court room standing up against tyranny. “
