FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 26, 2020

Business and Labor Leaders Urge NJTA, SJTA to Move Forward with Proposed Capital Plans

TRENTON, NJ – Business and labor groups throughout New Jersey again have voiced their overwhelming support for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) capital plans, and have urged both to approve them this week. Both authorities are scheduled to vote on the proposed plans at meetings tomorrow, May 27, 2020.

These upgrades are essential to getting the state’s economy back on track after the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As New Jersey faces unprecedented economic challenges, infrastructure investment is a safe and proven way to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.

The NJTA’s capital plan will provide urgently-needed improvements to the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway and critical supporting infrastructure, which will increase capacity and ensure our busiest highways are safe to travel.

Approving the SJTA’s plan will fund critical upgrades along the entire Atlantic City Expressway, fixing and improving one of South Jersey’s most important roads and providing an important boost to the region’s economy.

“Investment in our infrastructure is even more pertinent in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Greg Lalevee, Business Manager of IUOE825 and Chairman of ELEC825. “Now is the time to move forward with these projects to spur economic growth, put New Jersey residents back to work, and prepare for our new reality on the other side of this pandemic.”

As summer approaches and communities look to rebound from COVID-19, the state needs to ensure that our roads are safe and well-maintained for tourists, residents and vacationers alike. At a time when state and local governments face significant budget shortfalls, the capital plans are funded by user fees, which ensure that out-of-state drivers pay their fair share and the burden does not fall on New Jersey’s taxpayers.

Throughout the current state of emergency, the Murphy administration has worked with industry leaders to carefully identify key infrastructure investments and construction projects that can continue safely. Moving forward with the proposed capital plans will help to ensure that such critical infrastructure is safe, functional and reliable and position the state’s economy to rebound from the devastation caused by COVID-19.

“The foundation of New Jersey’s economy has always been our infrastructure, which is essential to allow goods and people to flow freely throughout the state,” said Tom Bracken, President & CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “While the state has faced lack of investment in the past, this proposed plan allows for an opportunity to move in the right direction, improve our dated infrastructure systems and enable economic growth. Even better, the ripple effects will be felt positively far beyond the construction industry. Let’s not allow the current pandemic to shy us away from doing the right thing for our residents and our economy.”

“The Southern New Jersey Development Council represents organizations spanning 30 different types of businesses, all of which have been impacted by the current health crisis,” said Jane Asselta, Vice President of the Southern New Jersey Development Council. “In our post- COVID-19 future, South Jersey will rely on upgrades like the ones outlined in the capital plans to allow our economy to get back to the emerging leader it once was.”

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Organizations in support of the proposed capital plan include:

Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative 825

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825

Road to Repair

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey

New Jersey Association of Counties

New Jersey Asphalt Pavement Association

Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey

National Association for Industrial Office Park New Jersey Chapter

Utility and Transportation Contractors Association of New Jersey

New Jersey Concrete and Aggregate Association

Southern New Jersey Development Council