State-Backed Road Projects In New Jersey Grind to Halt

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The jackhammers and backhoes will be silent today at about a hundred road and bridge repair and construction projects around New Jersey.

Republican Governor Chris Christie is in a stand-off with the Democratically-controlled New Jersey legislature over funding for the projects. He ordered them stopped last week, when Democrats refused to approve a $1.25 billion bond package that would pay for the transportation projects through early next year.

At stake are larger issues over New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund, which is largely depleted.

Christie has rebuffed calls to raise the state's gasoline tax to replenish the fund.

http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/oct/04/state-backed-road-projects-around-nj-grind-halt/

Democrats, Christie schedule emergency meeting to address N.J. transportation funding

TRENTON — An emergency meeting in Trenton is scheduled for 10 this morning.

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On one side is the Democratic Legislature. Concerned Christie might use money allocated for a multi- billion dollar rail tunnel under the Hudson River to instead shore up the state’s nearly bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund, the lawmakers last week held up approval of a $1.25 billion bond needed to cover road construction contracts through March.

On the other side is the Republican governor’s administration, which answered Friday afternoon by ordering the stoppage of more than 100 construction projects, effective today, until the funding fight is settled.

Left flopping like tumbleweeds in the wind are thousands of construction workers, engineers and planners.

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State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), who co-chairs the committee with Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden), warned last month that Democratic lawmakers would withhold approval of new borrowing for transportation projects until Christie explained his long-term fix for the Transportation Trust Fund.

The fund pays for road and bridge repairs and transit services. Christie has vehemently opposed increasing the gas tax to pay for the fund.

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Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said Democratic lawmakers were fully aware that financing for the transportation projects would only carry through to the end of August, but chose to abandon their duties to "obstruct and gain political points."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/democrats_christie_schedule_em.html