Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, released the following statement Wednesday after the panel’s first hearing on New Jersey’s transportation funding crisis:
“New Jersey’s transportation infrastructure in New Jersey is in horrible shape and there’s essentially no money left to pay for any improvements. If we do nothing, we do so at our own peril and put jobs and lives at risk.
“If this distressing reality wasn’t already clear to anybody, today’s hearing should put their complacency to rest. We are facing a real crisis that threatens New Jersey’s economic future.
“For the last 20 years, New Jersey has been doing nothing more than a series of reckless patchwork moves that have left the state Transportation Trust Fund nearly insolvent and our roads and bridges in terrible shape, threatening jobs and public safety. I sincerely hope this hearing was the first step toward a rational solution, and I look forward to continued debate in the weeks ahead.”
The next committee hearing on the issue is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14 at Rutgers University. It will be held at the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation in Piscataway.