The NJ Turnpike Authority (NJTA) Board of Commissioners unanimously approved (8-0) a memorandum of understanding with the City of Bayonne to begin the $6 billion Newark Bay Bridge project, part of the larger turnpike widening effort, at today’s meeting.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
In December, they announced that they would not increase the number of lanes between the bridge and the Holland Tunnel, which was widely viewed as the worst part of the multi-year, multi-billion dollar project. However, many still want the overall project halted.
During public comment, John Reichman, a member of EmpowerNJ, endorsed Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s (D) proposal that would have Kris Kolluri – who recently said the turnpike widening would go over the $10.7 billion budget – run both NJ Transit and the NJTA.
“We recognize the governor stated the bridge should be replaced. But that doesn’t mean the bridge should be doubled in size,” Richman, also an attorney, argued that changing the plan would “remove threat of litigation.”
“Four lanes of bridge traffic will merge into two lanes, causing a massive bottleneck … It makes no sense to tear down the existing highway.”
Reichman believes that the Newark Bay Bridge could be salvaged via repairs as opposed to being outright replaced.
“We’re always going to stand with the NJTA’s capital construction projects,” NJ Alliance for Action Senior Vice President Chris Hartman said in favor of the project.
“I’m really pleased … the Turnpike Authority is revisiting at least some of the over $10 billion expansion. It’s a little unclear if it’s a revisiting or a cosmetic rhetorical revisit. We hope it’s the latter … The one bridge option looks incredibly good,” David Pringle, also of Empower NJ, said.
On that point, Holly Cox contended that the Newark Bay Bridge can be repaired for around $260 million, which would extend it’s life for approximately another four decades.
She also questioned the NJTA Environmental Impact Statement, arguing that the increased pollution from new bridges would especially harm communities of color.
“We have to stop making the climate crisis worst,” she declared.
Environment NJ Director and Empower NJ committee member Doug O’Malley noted Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has been against the expansion for years and Sherrill should follow suit.
“It’s very much at odd of the important priorities of Governor Sherrill … like improved air quality … There needs to be a true examination and pause on the plan,” he argued, criticizing the MOU item with Bayonne on their agenda.
Hudson County Complete Streets Executive Director Emmanuelle Morgan wanted the project paused. She said they didn’t consider alternatives.
“We in Jersey City have the highest rates of asthma … in the state. This project is simply too large for the scale of our county and too expensive for our state,” she declared.
Jersey City Ward E Councilwoman Elena Little also praised Kolluri and, like many others, panned the plan.
“Adding lanes of traffic creates a phenomenon known as induced demand … There’s much better uses for the $11 billion, including but not limited to mass transit,” she argued.
Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32) praised the NJTA’s work during the recent snowstorm and also praised Kolluri before advocating for the one bridge solution.
She elaborated that this effort would save money and not impact public health as much, also highlighting that she introduced a bill to expand the Hudson Bergen Light-Rail, which would create many high paying union jobs.
“We applause the Turnpike Authority for advancing this critical initiative,” Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey (ACCNJ) Government Affairs Director Abby Adams began, speaking in favor of the proposed ramp connections.
“These improvements will … reduce congestion and support the continued growth of our port facilities,” she stated, noting that the expansion is necessary for public safety reasons and will also create thousands of labor jobs.
“Why are we throwing more money after bad money? … We must focus on durability,” began Better Blocks NJ Co-Founder Eric Allen Conner.
He further stated that the Turnpike expansion would hurt the quality of life and the growth of Jersey City.
“The public advocates and elected officials are all uniformly concerned about a bridge … with expanded lanes. “You’re going to have the same bottleneck Work with us … We’re not going away,” Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla (D-32) said.
Next, an MOU between the NJTA and Bayonne was discussed. In a nutshell, it would have the NJTA provide portions of structures demolished to the Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission for display.
They will also provide continuing community access to a municipal park during construction. After construction is completed, they are supposed to create a waterfront walkway too.
The memorandum passed unanimously without debate before the meeting abruptly concluded after about two-and-a-half hours.
