McGreevey seeks traffic-congestion solutions

Governor creates special commission; officials, experts generally praise plan.

By: David Campbell
   Gov. James E. McGreevey’s order this week to create a commission to help solve the state’s transportation funding woes and expedite road and mass-transit projects that ease congestion drew praise from municipal officials and transportation experts — and some mixed reviews.
   "I don’t think anyone can argue with efficiency," said New Jersey Future Executive Director Barbara Lawrence. "What matters is the criteria by which you judge projects and the values you are measuring projects against, and that’s where we’ve always fallen down in New Jersey."
   Martin Robins, director of Rutgers University’s Transportation Policy Institute, said the state’s transportation system, which he said has been the envy of the nation, is in crisis.
   "The hard work still really needs to be done, but the governor has set us off in the right direction," Mr. Robins said.
   At the governor’s "1st Annual Transportation Conference" held Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency hotel in New Brunswick, Gov. McGreevey said traffic and congestion will cost the state economy $7 billion a year and families and commuters will lose 261 million hours to congestion.
   The governor made his comments to several hundred attendees at the conference, sponsored by the state Department of Transportation and Alliance for Action. Alliance members include unions, contractors, engineering firms, banks and utilities.
   Despite the most serious fiscal crisis in state history, the governor said, the state has budgeted $2.5 billion for transportation this fiscal year, but he said there is a $5 billion shortfall in funds to fix infrastructure over the next five years.
   "Our economy has outpaced our transportation system. Our roads, bridges and rails have become overburdened and congested," Gov. McGreevey said. "And it will only get worse. New Jersey is expected to grow by 1 million people and create 800,000 additional jobs over the next 20 years."
   On Tuesday, the governor signed an executive order creating a seven-member panel to develop funding recommendations for renewal of the Transportation Trust Fund, and recommend ways to alleviate traffic congestion.
   State Transportation Commissioner John F. Lettiere will be the chairman, and the seven appointees, who will be named by the governor, will be drawn from the business, labor and environmental communities.
   The Trust Fund and the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, financed by federal and state gasoline taxes, are the primary funding sources for transportation improvements in New Jersey. The enabling legislation for both programs expires next year.
   The governor’s order also directs the DOT and other state transportation agencies to speed up project completion schedules, prioritize projects that relieve congestion, improve highway safety, develop a plan that reduces truck traffic by encouraging more shipping by trains, and provide 20,000 more park-and-ride spaces.
   Mr. Robins said the blue-ribbon commission’s work will be of "great consequence" to the state and "strenuous and difficult," and said public education will be key. The commission’s findings likely will "translate into sacrifice on the part of the public" when it comes to which projects can and can’t be built.
   "We are running out of funds and may find ourselves without the adequate resources," Mr. Robins said.
   Princeton Borough Mayor Marvin Reed expressed hope the conference will stimulate progress by getting people talking and said he believes the administration is on the right track with smart growth and the "fix-it-first" approach to upgrading existing infrastructure.
   But the mayor said it remains to be seen whether the state "has the nerve" to delay development in places where transit can’t keep pace with growth.
   "It’s one thing to have backbone, until they start bending your back," Mayor Reed said.
   The borough mayor, citing parking shortages at the Princeton Junction train station, said he is pleased with the governor’s park-and-ride initiative.
   But Mayor Reed said streamlined DOT building schedules could prompt public outcry and end up with unplanned delays — a classic example, he said, being the former Millstone Bypass.
   Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu said economic health and quality of life in the state are at stake and called the conference a "rallying cry," and expressed optimism about Gov. McGreevey’s efforts.
   "This governor is attempting to bring people together to focus on the problem," Mayor Cantu said. "The message is coming across. The solution lies in everybody working together."
   Kate Slevin, spokeswoman for Tri-State Transportation Campaign, said Tri-State is impressed with the governor’s agenda, noting that there is a "strong indication" the blue-ribbon commission’s recommendations will be listened to.
   Sandra Brillhart, executive director of Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, said of the governor’s order to streamline DOT construction timelines, "As long as the environment and community input aren’t compromised, anything that cuts through the bureaucracy is a good thing."