In a forum of state transportation leaders at last week's Atlantic City "TransAction" conference, state Transportation Commissioner Jim Weinstein reassured the Tri-State Campaign that the fix-it-first mandate would be complied with. But this statement stood in stark contrast to the capital budget presentations DOT staff gave earlier in the conference.

DOT's capital program managers Mark Stout and Bob Harris ignored the Trust Fund goals, and referred back to the less ambitious internal DOT goals set in 1998. They claimed the number of bridges being declared deficient would prevent DOT from "paddling any faster" to fix them. For instance, the 3-mile long elevated Pulaski Skyway is schedule to be rated as deficient in the next year or two. It was clear from the presentation that DOT is pursuing its bridge repair program as incidental to its road-building and reconstruction program, and is not serious about fixing half the structurally deficient bridges in five years.

But NJDOT Plans To Add Another 500 Highway Miles