dire consequences. “It is virtually impossible for any business
sector or community to succeed without the right infrastructure
in place,” says Jonathan Miller, partner and co-owner of Miller
Ryan LLC in New York City, and author of the Urban Land Institute’s 2009 infrastructure report, done in conjunction with Ernst
& Young. Miller, who also blogs for GlobeSt.com (http://www.
trendczar.typepad.com), adds that everything from US roadways
and sewage systems to public transportation and aviation have
gotten exponentially worse.
Here in New Jersey, relief in the form of federal stimulus money is on its way to the tune of
$652 million for highway and bridgework alone.
Gov. Corzine has hailed the influx of cash earmarked for transportation, saying it will create
thousands of jobs and improve safety and quality of life for people across the state. In all, New
Jersey is expected to receive about $10 billion
in direct aid and an additional $7.5 billion in
tax relief.
Among the projects on tap are: more than
$47 million to improve drainage and replace
bridges along flood-prone Route 46 in Lodi; $25
million for repairs and safety upgrades along
Route 78 in Newark; and $13 million to resurface well-traveled Route 80 in sections of Essex,
Morris and Passaic counties. In terms of mass
transit, about $22 million has been set aside to
replace ties and tracks throughout New Jersey
Transit’s commuter rail system. Railcars are also
set for a rehab to the tune of $35.8 million.
The most talked about initiative is the Hudson River rail tunnel, which broke ground in mid-June. The transit community
has touted the tunnel, part of New Jersey Transit’s larger Access
to the Region’s Core project, as a much needed release valve for
the state’s commuters. To that end, the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey has agreed to pitch in $3 billion, while the
state, via New Jersey Transit, is adding another $2.7 billion to the
pot. The federal government is expected to invest an additional
$3 billion.
However, some state Republicans have expressed doubts about
the project. The most common concern is that a shortfall of federal funds could prompt the Corzine Administration to raise
taxes, fares or tolls on all New Jerseyans for a tunnel serving a
limited portion of the state. “It is not surprising that Gov. Corzine proceeded with this senseless project without firm funding
commitments,” Republican Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addi-ego said in a statement. She added that New Jersey taxpayers and
commuters, including those in South Jersey who will not receive
any job or transportation benefits from the tunnel, are already
unfairly subsidizing this project.
Miller thinks there’s a bigger issue at play here—namely that
we need to overhaul the way the infrastructure problem is approached. “The federal government needs to come at it from
a national perspective,” he says. For instance, how does a cross-country road system tie into national airports and rail lines?
“There should be some guidelines for state and local governments to create systems that feed into these,” he adds, “but ad
hoc projects such as the tunnel don’t tie into any overarching
plan.”
Miller proposes establishing an American Infrastructure Bank
to help finance national networks, attract more private capital
and advance public/private partnerships. Funding burdens, he
The Pulaski Skyway in Jersey City is one of many Garden State bridges in need of an overhaul.
Photo: Alyson Grala
adds, must shift from taxpayers to users since depleted government coffers will not sustain initiatives.
Still, Miller isn’t exactly optimistic that a national program will
be adopted in the near future. The problem for our government
today, he notes, is that we have a significant deficit. “There are
so many things that need to be addressed. How can you argue
with healthcare?”
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Of course, crumbling roads and rails aren’t the only challenges
facing New Jersey. The state’s energy infrastructure, though not
in any imminent danger, will become increasingly problematic as
the population expands. As a result, the government granted the
Garden State $260 million for its energy efforts. And while $260
million might sound like a large chunk of change, “it’s spread
out, with $118 million going to weatherization actions, $73 million for the state’s energy program and $75 million set aside for
energy efficiency and conservation grants, among many others,”
Gov. Corzine’s chief energy advisor Ken Esser tells RENJ.
The overarching goal, he adds, is to build a 21st century energy infrastructure and commit to innovation and further research into new technology.
