Union Group pushes for new ways to fund N.J. transportation projects
February 9, 2015, 3:01 PM Last updated: Monday, February 9, 2015, 3:03 PM
By JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU |
The Record
A group that’s been pushing state lawmakers and Governor Christie to come up with a new way to fund transportation projects in New Jersey brought that effort to Trenton on Monday, holding a news conference to put more pressure on leaders to act.
“Now is the time for the final push,” said Tom Bracken, chairman of Forward New Jersey, a group made up of 75 different organizations, including labor unions, local government representatives and business groups.
New Jersey pays for its road, bridge and rail work primarily using funds raised from borrowing and from the state’s gas tax. But later this year the revenue generated by the gas tax will be going only to pay off debt, with few funds left in the state Transportation Trust Fund for new projects.
Bracken called that “the most critical issue facing the state right now.” He stopped short of endorsing an increase of the gas tax, which at 14.5 cents per gallon is among the lowest in the country, but said it should be among the options up for discussion as the leaders try and find a solution.
“I support a long-term, sustainable, dedicated solution,” Bracken said.
Members of labor unions had the strongest presence at Monday’s event, filling much of the room.
Not being a fan of labor unions i do not understand why people in this state will not pay to have our roads and bridges fixed as they are in poor condition. Raise the gas tax and get on with the work.
We had plenty of money but the funds were used to build sounds barriers which cost a million per mile, the same as building a road.
The only ones who benefit from sound barriers are those who made a poor choice to live next to a highway.
A perfect example of why th fund is broke and the tax should never be raised,
You do not answer as to how to pay for repairs.
When a Ponzi scheme goes broke prosecutors appoint a trustee and use a “clawback” cause to force those who received beneficial $$$ to return it, and it’s distributed to investors/victims.
The same needs to be applied to the municipalities/homeowners who received the “benefit” of th sounds walls from money that was dedicated to road repairs, NOT to improve privat property of those who chose a poor location to live.
Until those funds that were pissed away on sound barriers are returned from the beneficiary homeowners and municipalites, no increase in taxes.
#1, raising the gasoline tax doesn’t address the source of the problem. Union labor for road and infrastructure projects is too expensive, about 8X the national average. That means NJ taxpayers get 1/8 of the same amount of road r& bridge repairs as the national average for the same cost. It’s a black hole of union greed and ineptitude. Thugs like Senator Paul Sarlo, who is on the payroll of the Sanzari construction firm, only want the gas tax to increase because it fuels their rip-off of NJ taxpayers. Besides, when you combine the gas tax with toll charges, NJ already has the second highest transportation tax bill in the country after NY, but we’re only the 4th largest state in terms of physical size. So instead of raising the gas tax, why don’t we open up road & bridge repair contracts to competitive pricing instead of being held hostage by the thugs and crooks who overcharge for union labor?