New Jersey needs to invest in roads and rail to support port

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney called for a $2-billion-a-year Transportation Trust Fund.

   New Jersey will need to invest more in highway and rail freight infrastructure to handle the increasing cargo volume at Port Elizabeth/Port Newark that is propelling the growth of the state’s transportation and logistics sector, said State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester.
   Sweeney, believed to be a likely candidate in the next gubernatorial race, toured port facilities with State Senators Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson, and M. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin, D-Essex, John Nardi, president of the New York Shipping Association, and other cargo and freight experts.
   “Billions of dollars in public and private funds have been and continue to be spent on dredging our waterways and preparing our terminals to handle the growing amount of international trade flowing through New Jersey’s ports,” said Senator Sweeney. “That investment is paying off: 2014 was a record year for cargo, the first two months of this year are up 10 percent over last year, and those records will be shattered once work is completed on the Bayonne Bridge in 2017 that will allow larger ships into the port.
   “Growing cargo volume means more jobs at the port, more jobs in trucking and rail freight, and more jobs in the huge warehouses and logistic centers throughout the state – including those springing up from Exit 10 down to 7A to take advantage of the investments in widening the New Jersey Turnpike,” he added. “Now we need to take the next step by investing in our roadway and rail freight system so that we can handle the increased cargo traffic and connect our shippers efficiently with their customers.”
   Sweeney has been pushing for increased transportation spending to spur New Jersey’s lagging economy, including passage of a $2-billion-a-year Transportation Trust Fund that would increase funding for rail freight and double funding for the county and municipal highways and bridges.
   Nardi said of Sweeney’s comments, “Investing in the port and its infrastructure is critical to regaining and growing this port’s East Coast market share.”