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If there were one word to describe the state of the TTF at this moment in time, that might well be it, as Acting Governor Kim Guadagno announced that the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and NJ TRANSIT (NJT) have compiled and identified a list of projects funded through the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) subject to an “orderly shutdown” under Governor Christie’s Executive Order No. 210. Out of town right now as the Trump Campaign puts his name under a VP microscope, Governor Chris Christie issued the order on June 30 in the aftermath of the state Senate’s failure to act on the Assembly Transportation Trust Fund package that would have provided every New Jersey family two broad-based tax cuts that exceed the legislation’s proposal for a dedicated gas tax increase. “As Governor, I am entrusted with the responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State, as well as the responsibility to aid in the prevention of damage, loss, or destruction of property in the event of emergencies affecting the State. As this executive order states, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State, it is necessary that the remaining amounts held by the TTF not be spent on any transportation project that is not absolutely essential,” Governor Christie said in signing Executive Order No. 210. According to the Governor’s Office this afternoon, “In the absence of a legislative solution to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund and consistent with Executive Order No. 210, it is necessary to stop work temporarily on ongoing projects funded by the TTF by 11:59 p.m. on July 8, 2016 for a period of at least seven days. DOT and NJT should use the intervening days to assess and prioritize the list of projects to obtain the greatest effect out of the remaining TTF funds.” The plan exempts projects deemed essential for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of all citizens and will not impact projects funded through federal sources, according to the governor’s office. In the meantime, Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) and Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) swatted at each other.
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