Bill Text: NJ AR21 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Urges United States Congress to dedicate additional federal funds for highway maintenance and infrastructure improvements in New Jersey.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-10)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-08 - Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading [AR21 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR21-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

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)

 

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 and Lagana

 

 

 

 

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.