The following are links to a selection of transportation-related articles published recently by newspapers in the northern New Jersey region. This page is updated on at least a bi-weekly basis. Please note that links on this page may expire or be unreliable due to changes made by host newspapers.
The following links were posted March 2, 2010:
Bad behavior by N.J. toll collectors brings wrath of lawmakers
The Star-Ledger February 25, 2010.TRENTON -- Two leading Assembly Democrats want to turn up the heat on toll collectors who turn New Jersey into Rude Jersey. Assembly Transportation Chairman John Wisniewski and Assembly Consumer Affairs Chairman Paul Moriarty today wrote a letter to Transportation Commissioner James Simpson regarding the more than 550 complaints filed by motorists against New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway toll collectors from 2008 to 2009.
NJT confronts fiscal woes
The Record Thursday, February 25, 2010. NJ Transit (NJT) Executive Director James Weinstein appeared before New Jersey’s Assembly Transportation Committee last week to discuss how the statewide transit agency will meet the serious fiscal challenges of the current and coming budget years. "The severe recession has put the state and NJ Transit in the direst financial straits in our history.
Commuters prepare for a more expensive commute
The Record Thursday, February 25, 2010. Each week thousands of commuters at the Rutherford train station wait to board the Bergen and Main lines heading for jobs in New York City. Still others wait as buses come down Union Avenue or up Erie Avenue ferrying commuters south to Newark or further up into the county. But all of these people are preparing for what could be a less convenient and more expensive commute as NJ Transit contemplates fare hikes and service reductions in order to deal with a projected budget gap of $300 million for its next fiscal year.
Passaic County long-awaited bridge repairs advance
The Record Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Motorists who drive through Bloomingdale, Butler, Ringwood, Wanaque and West Milford got a double dose of good news this week when two of Passaic County’s long-awaited bridge repair projects moved forward.
Incoming N.J. transportation commissioner turns up the heat at turnpike authority meeting
The Record Tuesday, February 23, 2010. New transportation commissioner James Simpson shook up the New Jersey Turnpike Authority board meeting Tuesday, promising transparency, increased customer service and budget hawking.
N.J. Turnpike, Garden State Parkway spend $11M on real-time signs
The Star-Ledger February 23, 2010. Under a $10.9 million contract awarded today by the Turnpike Authority, drivers on the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway will get new, real-time variable message signs warning them about congestion, construction and commotion.
N.J.'s $1.5M de-icing spray experiment on Route 78 remains broken
The Star-LedgerFebruary 22, 2010.It was to have been a powerful weapon against black ice on a stretch of highway considered among the most treacherous in New Jersey during bouts of winter weather. And for two years, the state’s first automated de-icer — an experimental, $1.5 million system embedded directly into the pavement — was showing encouraging results in reducing ice and accidents on a short, hilly stretch of Route 78 near the border of Hunterdon and Warren counties, transportation officials say.
Christie taps Sen. Baroni for top Port Authority post
The Record February 19, 2010. A Republican state senator will now have one of the top leadership positions of the Port Authority. Sen. Bill Baroni, R-Hamilton, was appointed deputy executive director of the bi-state agency, which manages local airports, the Hudson River road crossings, the PATH train system and local ports.
Commuters may get a kick in the caboose
The Record February 19, 2010. I ride NJ Transit trains Monday through Friday, every week. The buzz on the rails this week is still very much in the governor’s corner.
Christie's transit-funding plan draws criticism
Phila. Inquirier Fri, Feb. 19, 2010. Plans in New Jersey to cut service and drastically raise transit fares ran into sharp criticism at a legislative hearing yesterday, as the new boss of New Jersey Transit outlined Gov. Christie's plan to save money by reducing the state's transit subsidy. Lawmakers and transit advocates said bus and train passengers were being unfairly targeted while car and truck drivers were not being asked to share the financial pain.
SNOW-JAMMED? TELL THESE FOLKS
RedBankGreen.com, 2/19/10. More than a week after the second of two blizzards walloped the Red Bank area, pedestrian access to many crosswalks remains blocked by deep piles of snow left by plows. The folks from Safe Routes to School want to help. A handful of them took to intersections around Red Bank last night to clear paths through bulwarks of snow, ice and slush that seem to be going nowhere for a while, even with yesterday’s temperature in the high 30s.
Disabled Resident Plans Petition on Train Station
The Ridgewood Patch, 2/18/10. A longtime Ridgewood resident is voicing concerns over how safe the renovated train station will be for the handicapped. At a meeting this month held at Ridgewood's new wheelchair-accessible platform with representatives of both the village and New Jersey Transit, Shannon Morgan expressed worry that the $41 million update poses safety and efficacy issues due to the height of the platform and the loss of a useful sidewalk in the design.
PSE&G to install energy-efficient street lights in S.B.
The Sentinel, 2/18/10. SOUTH BRUNSWICK — PSE&G recently began installing energy-efficient streetlights in over 200 municipalities across the state in an effort that could save towns nearly $1 million annually.
Spotswood to beautify ‘eyesore’; upgrade roads
The Sentinel, 2/18/10. SPOTSWOOD — The borough is laying the groundwork to beautify an unsightly lot and improve some of its roadways using grants awarded by the county and state.
O.B. eyes safety measures for Route 9 commuters
The Suburban, 2/18/10. OLD BRIDGE — Township officials are looking to implement cautionary measures at the intersection of Route 9 and Ferry Road in order to ensure the safety of commuters. The heightened security maneuvers, which were discussed at the end of a Feb. 8 Township Council meeting, have been proposed in response to a decision by the state Department of Transportation to remove the traffic signal on Route 9 at the Inverness Drive park-and-ride last June.
Commuters want answers after lot goes unplowed
The Suburban, 2/18/10. SOUTH AMBOY — More than a week after a snowstorm brought a foot of snow to the area, the largely unplowed train station parking lot remained frozen over and continued to cause havoc for commuters as of Tuesday. Commuters who use the South Amboy Train Station have complained that the parking lot was not plowed after the Feb. 9-10 snowstorm, as seen in this photograph from Feb. 13. Commuters began voicing concerns since Feb. 11, the day after the snowstorm, but said they’ve gotten little in the way of a response.
NJ Transit director says fare hikes would come with job cuts to reduce costs
Star-Ledger February 18, 2010. TRENTON -- A day after confirming NJ Transit passengers will face a sizable fare hike and service reductions, the agency’s executive director said today management jobs also will be cut. James Weinstein told the Assembly Transportation Committee that all positions would be examined, including those Gov. Chris Christie characterized as "political patronage" jobs.
NJ Transit expecting four percent route cuts
Press of Atlantic City Feb. 18, 2010. TRENTON - The language was grim but the specifics were few in Thursday's Assembly hearing about $33 million in subsidy cuts for NJ Transit proposed by Gov. Chris Christie.
***NJTPA Mention***
The census brings $$$ to your town!
Hunterdon Review/Recorder Feb 18. In March, every residence in the U.S. will receive a 10-question form to complete for the decennial census. For instance, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) determines where the federal road and bridge dollars go in Hunterdon and other counties in the northern part of the state, using census data. Freeholder Matt Holt of Clinton is an officer of that organization.
NJ Transit: Cuts, fair hikes won't be small; Agency offers little detail on closing $300M gap
Asbury Park Press February 18, 2010. TRENTON — Thursday's assembly Transportation Committee hearing was long on bad news and short on details about how NJ Transit officials plan to plug a $300 million hole in their budget, except to warn there will be fare increases.
Hold the line on fare hikes
Asbury Park Press February 18, 2010. NJ Transit officials are warning riders that fare increases and service cuts could take place as early as May. While a reduction in the number of trains might be justified given the recent decline in ridership, the agency needs to find efficiencies in its own operations before slapping riders with yet another fare hike.
NJ Transit director says fare hike may happen by May
The Star-Ledger February 17, 2010. NEWARK -- NJ Transit’s nearly 900,000 bus, train and light rail riders could be hit with a fare hike as soon as May — the fourth increase in the past eight years, the agency’s executive director said today. "The fare increase is going to be not insignificant," Executive Director James Weinstein said after the monthly NJ Transit board meeting.
New NJ Transit head says fares will increase
Associated Press February 17, 2010. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Bus and rail commuters in New Jersey will face their second fare increase in three years by the end of June and possibly earlier, NJ Transit's new executive director said Wednesday.
Plan details development of walkways
The News Transcript, 2/17/10. If all goes according to a pedestrian access plan, Marlboro residents could eventually see the construction of sidewalks that will connect them to public transportation, shopping areas and schools. During a series of meetings that municipal officials held in 2008 to solicit input from residents on how they would like to see Marlboro developed, one major point was a lack of sidewalks throughout town.
Petition to Reduce Size of Proposed Bridge Signage
The Atlantic Highlands Herald, 2/16/10. HIGHLANDS, NJ - On Jan 17, Highlands Borough Council passed resolution 10-25 asking the New Jersey Department of Transportation to refrain from adding overhead cantilever signage to the Highlands-Seabright Bridge pending the review of alternatives. Sea Bright quickly followed with a supporting resolution on February 2. The resolution came after a number of area residents expressed concern over the size and location of the DOT's current proposed signs.
Rock salt threaten New Jersey waterways after onslaught of snow and ice
Star-Ledger February 15, 2010. Thousands of tons of rock salt and hundreds of thousands of gallons of calcium chloride, brine and other sodium-based products were spread over the state’s roadways during last week’s blizzard. Salt is crucial to motorists’ safety but the amount that’s put down each year concerns environmentalists because of the long-term effects on drinking water.
New Governors Facing Transportation Quandaries
Brookings Inst. Feb. 2010. The new governors that recently took office in Virginia and New Jersey are facing a challenging fiscal environment. Chief among thorny issues are the looming shortfalls on the transportation front for both states. Governor Christie is facing the reality that by 2011 all the revenue flowing into the New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund will be going toward debt payments
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