Bill Text: NJ S1547 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs DOT and NJT to study and report on transportation infrastructure needs in coastal counties.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-03-04 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [S1547 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1547-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER J. CONNORS
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Directs DOT and NJT to study and report on transportation infrastructure needs in coastal counties.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act directing the Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation to study and report on certain transportation infrastructure needs.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation shall conduct a study and prepare and submit, within six months of the effective date of this act, to the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the Chair of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, or the respective successor committees, as appropriate, a written report which shall make findings and recommendations concerning the transportation infrastructure needs in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties. The report shall examine the specific transportation infrastructure needs of each county, including, but not limited to, necessary repair, maintenance, and improvement of existing roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines; necessary construction of new roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines; the environmental impact of any new construction; the infrastructure needs of each county and the region as a whole in preparing for the safe and expedient evacuation of the coast in the event of an emergency, including appropriate evacuation routes and alternative means of evacuation; the alleviation of traffic congestion; the estimated costs of meeting the transportation infrastructure needs of each county and the region as a whole; the availability of federal funds; and any other information relevant to the subject of the report.
The Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation may consult with, as necessary, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority concerning the transportation infrastructure needs of the toll road authorities in coastal counties.
The Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation may consult with, as necessary, the Superintendent of State Police and the Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness concerning the transportation infrastructure needs of the coastal counties and the region as a whole in preparing for the safe and expedient evacuation of the coast in the event of an emergency.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire on the 30th day following submission of the report required to be prepared under section 1 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Transportation ("the department") and the New Jersey Transit Corporation ("the corporation") to conduct a study and prepare and submit, within six months of the effective date of this bill, to the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the Chair of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, or the respective successor committees, as appropriate, a written report which shall make findings and recommendations concerning the transportation infrastructure needs in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties. The report is to examine the specific transportation infrastructure needs of each county, including, but not limited to, necessary repair, maintenance, and improvement of existing roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines; necessary construction of new roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines; the environmental impact of such new construction; the infrastructure needs of each county and the region as a whole in preparing for and responding to the safe and expedient evacuation of the coast in the event of an emergency, including appropriate evacuation routes and alternative means of evacuation; the alleviation of traffic congestion; the estimated costs of meeting the transportation infrastructure needs of each county and the region as a whole; the availability of federal funds; and any other information relevant to the subject of the report.
The department and the corporation may consult with, as necessary, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority concerning the transportation infrastructure needs of the toll road authorities in coastal counties.
The department and the corporation may also consult with, as necessary, the Superintendent of State Police and Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness concerning the transportation infrastructure needs of the coastal counties in preparing for the safe and expedient evacuation of the coast in the event of an emergency. It is the sponsor's intent that this bill address the problems demonstrated during the evacuations necessitated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
