Ray Pocino, vice president and Eastern Regional manager for the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), reacted to the news today that Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox wants to freeze municipal project funds as long as the state lacks a replenished Transportation Trust Fund (TTF).
“The news that NJDOT Commissioner Fox is halting all transportation aid to local municipalities is certainly troubling,” said Pocino. “It is also unsurprising. In light of the upcoming insolvency of New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, it is only logical that we will see the demise of programs and projects the TTF funds—programs that repair and upgrade our roads and bridges, support bike paths and safer streets to transit and schools, and of course, help towns and cities pay for their own infrastructure projects.
“The Transportation Trust Fund was once a bipartisan mechanism for maintaining a safe and efficient transportation system,” the labor leader added. “It was also a catalyst for a growing economy and a promoter of New Jersey’s strong quality of life. Our state has failed to act responsibly for so long that I think we have forgotten how important our transportation system is for all of us. Our State Legislature and Governor need to act now on a long-term solution that fully funds New Jersey’s transportation system. Without action, the bad news will keep on coming.”
