The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTPA) held a press conference and public hearing in Bayonne about the $10.7 billion Hudson County Turnpike/I-78 extension plan, which once again drew dozens of protesters.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
“Environmental justice has been a consideration of this program,” Supervising Engineer and NJTA Program Manager Lisa Navarro argued at the presser that preceded the protest out of Woodrow Wilson School No. 10 in the Peninsula City.
Phase I revolves around the construction between Turnpike exits 14 to 14 A, which will cost about $6 billion in construction, design, and supervision.
Project consultant Mike Morgan explained they are tracking steel prices and seeing what will change, along with labor, concrete, cement, and federal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump (R).
Bridge replacement construction will start in 2026 and take 10 years in the first part of the project and the overall goal of rehabilitating 29 bridge, which span 8.1 miles, isn’t expected to be complete until 2040.
In the first section with the new bridges, there will be four lanes in each direction. In the second section, it will go from two lanes to three near the 14B exit. In the third section, the Turnpike is seeking to add shoulders to the roads.
Navarro said they can’t spend the money from tolls, which they maintain will cover the cost of the project, on public transportation directly. However, they are planning on utilizing $500 million to support NJ Transit and the Gateway project.
She also stated the Casciano Memorial Bridge over Newark Bay into Hudson cannot be continuously repaired but must be replaced, as well as that the U.S. Coast Guard said the project would not cause a significant environmental impact.
Additionally, Morgan said that shoulders on the last end into the Holland Tunnel are necessary for safety and maintenance, while Navarro argued that most traffic goes to the Port of Bayonne as opposed to the Holland Tunnel.
After the press conference and before the public hearing, Safe Streets JC and several elected officials rallied against the plan.
“Turnpike widenings will make our air dirtier … The next step is to sue … You have my commitment to keep fighting,” Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon, a mayoral candidate, declared.
He referred to a press conference opposing the Turnpike widening last month where Mayor Steven Fulop said the city was considering suing to halt the project, an idea that Solomon supported, as HCV first reported.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, a Democratic nominee for state Assembly in the 32nd Legislative District, said taking the Turnpike authority to court sounded like a good idea.
“We don’t have a government that’s representative of the people of Hudson County. We do have legal remedies. They are literally violating the law … They’re creating a plan and then having a sham inside … We will seek recourse in the courts,” he stated.
Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, who is running on Solomon’s slate, expressed dismay over the fact that the NJTA has not invited impacted residents to have a seat at the table.
John Reichman, the environmental chair for Blue Wave NJ and also the steering chair for Empower NJ, noted that the project cost has increased over time, questioning if unsuccessful gubernatorial candidates would still rally against it.
“It’s probably the biggest boondoggle in New Jersey state history,” he asserted.
“There’s a lot we can do with 10.7 billion, billion with a B,” Jersey City Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore declared.
Safe Streets JC Trustee Jimmy Lee said the project “still doesn’t make sense,” noting that there was a vigil Sunday for Eli Bender, a six-year-old Jersey City resident fatally struck by a UPS truck was riding his bike.
He said this was another example of where roadways need to be made safer and more funding needs to be allocated to pubic transit.
Furthermore, Jersey City Infrastructure Director Barkha Patel said the widening is ineffective long term to reduce traffic overall, also thanking continued press coverage of the issue to applause.
“We are trying to build lovable, walkable communities in Jersey City, and this is not the way,” she stated.
At the hearing, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters supported the plan. The union crowd was significant and took up a significant portion of the room, which had hundreds in attendance.
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, the Democratic nominee for county sheriff, began the hearing by saying his city supports the project 100 percent to great cheers.
“This project means everything to the city of Bayonne and its economic future,” he said to cheers.
Davis argued that infrastructure has not kept up with growth in the county over the years. Some yelling out from the crowd began, to which the mayor asked everyone to be civil.
Navarro then spoke to the crowd, indicating that the bridge must be replaced, no one is going to lose their home, and that air quality will be monitored to ensure compliance.
“Y’all sound like a bunch of robots up there!” Bhalla exclaimed to boos.
“We’ve been sitting in traffic since 1963,” Davis declared after noting the bridge’s problems.
“You spoke already!” a woman yelled.
As a result, police came over and spoke to her, but ultimately did not take any further action.
“I 100 percent support this project,” said Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31). He argued that improved infrastructure is needed to cope with development.
Regional Plan Association New Jersey Associate Olivia Haller said their group has many concerns about the proposal.
“These include the lack of examination of other demand management approaches, the limited scope of the environmental assessment, inconsistencies with state and local transportation initiatives, and the project’s failure to sufficiently consider induced demand, which is the well-documented phenomenon where adding road capacity leads to more driving, not less,” she explained.
Ward E council candidate Eleana Little, another running mate of Solomon, called on the next governor to end the process.
“There are clear alternatives to spending more than $6 billion on the first step of the nation’s largest highway widening boondoggle … True analysis for safety would look at all the alternatives,” added Environment New Jersey Director Doug O’Malley.
