By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on July 14, 2016 at 11:14 AM, updated July 14, 2016 at 12:12 PM
We asked, and you responded with some pretty insightful questions about the state’s road and transit construction shutdown.
While lawmakers and the governor try to hammer out a solution to replenish the state’s cash strapped Transportation Trust Fund and end the shutdown, readers asked questions about the billions of dollars that could be raised and how it will be used.
Q: Is the 23 cent gas tax increase for bridge and road construction, or (is it) funding New Jersey Transit? The seven costliest projects will buy buses and locomotives for NJT (example: $712.7 million for 772 buses). Not one cent goes towards our crumbling bridges and roads. Something is wrong here.
A: Let’s take those in order.
The TTF, which would be supported by a proposed 23 cent increase in the gas tax, funds both the Department of Transportation and NJ Transit, said Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman. How much each agency receives is determined in the annual capital budget. The DOT will receive $1.017 billion from the trust fund and NJ Transit receives $582 million in fiscal year 2017.
It obviously goes to things like $300K boondoggles for “maintenance” at Ridgewood train station which only recently underwent a $50mn renovation. It’s clear theTTF is nothing more than a corrupt vote buying operation so Sarlo and Sweeney can buy Union thug votes