ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 21
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman BETTYLOU DECROCE
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Assemblywoman SHEILA Y. OLIVER
District 34 (Essex and Passaic)
Assemblyman JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Dancer, McKeon, Assemblywoman Tucker, Assemblyman Benson, Assemblywoman Quijano, Assemblymen DiMaio, Caputo, Giblin, Ciattarelli, Singleton, Egan, Coughlin, Assemblywoman N.Munoz, Assemblymen Johnson, Prieto, S.Kean, Rible, Assemblywoman Caride, Assemblymen Wisniewski, McGuckin, Wolfe, Lagana and Eustace
SYNOPSIS
Urges United States Congress to dedicate additional federal funds for highway maintenance and infrastructure improvements in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on February 8, 2016, with amendments.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging the United States Congress to dedicate additional federal funds for highway maintenance and infrastructure improvements in New Jersey.
Whereas, The New Jersey Department of Transportation estimates that motorists travel more than 200 million miles per day on the approximately 39,000 miles of public roadways in the State; and
Whereas, According to TRIP, a national non-profit transportation research group, 1[sixty-six] 351 percent of New Jersey’s roads are in poor 1[or] condition, 41 percent are in1 mediocre condition, and 1[thirty-six] 361 percent of New Jersey’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete; and
Whereas, Roads and bridges in poor condition cost motorists in the State an estimated 1[$3.6] $4.11 billion per year in vehicle repairs and operating costs and 1[$121] $5.21 billion a year in fuel costs and time lost in traffic; and
Whereas, TRIP estimates that roadway conditions are a significant factor in one-third of the approximately 600 annual traffic-related deaths in the State; and
Whereas, In the latest Annual Highway Report issued by the Reason Foundation, New Jersey’s highway system ranked 1[46th] 48th1 in the nation in overall highway performance, 1[34th] 36th1 in deficient bridges, 1[45th] 41st1 in urban interstate highway congestion, and 1[48th] 46th1 in urban interstate pavement 1[in poor]1 condition; and
Whereas, In recent years, the State spent eight times the national per mile average on the maintenance of roads and bridges in New Jersey, and although New Jersey already invests more per mile of highway than any other state, its roads and bridges continue to rank among the worst in the country making additional federal investment in the State’s roads and bridges crucial to the safety and convenience of those who use them; and
Whereas, New Jersey is a key corridor state located between two major metropolitan areas, and the benefits derived from a well-maintained transportation infrastructure not only support commerce and economic activity between those metropolitan areas but also provide significant benefits to the region and the nation as a whole making it imperative that adequate funding be provided by the federal government to support the State’s transportation infrastructure; and
Whereas, New Jersey’s location in relation to the Port of New York and New Jersey, which handles over 3.3 million containers per year and provides much needed goods and inventory to businesses throughout the region and the nation, demonstrates a critical need for adequate transportation infrastructure; and
Whereas, In addition to benefiting New 1[Jerseyans] Jersey residents1, additional federal investment in the State’s roads and bridges will make it safer and more reliable to transport goods through the State, extending the impact of such investment to the entire country; and
Whereas, It has been documented that for every dollar New Jersey sends in taxes to the federal government, the State receives only 61 cents in return; and
Whereas, This disparity needs to be diminished and adequate funding provided to New Jersey to support the maintenance of the State’s highways and improvements to the State’s transportation infrastructure; and
Whereas, In a struggling economy, investing in improvements to the transportation infrastructure creates much needed jobs in the construction and engineering industries and in every industry that relies on both intrastate and interstate commerce; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper and in the best interests of the citizens of this State and the nation for this House to respectfully urge the United States Congress to invest additional dollars in maintaining highways and improving the transportation infrastructure in this State; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the United States Congress to invest additional federal dollars in maintaining the highways and improving the transportation infrastructure in this State.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected from this State.