Current edition: Mobilizing the Region #475

October 11, 2004

New York's Transit Funding Crisis is Here

When the MTA 2000-2004 capital program was approved in Albany, transit advocates, newspaper reporters and others pointed out that a massive reckoning would eventually come due. The program was built on new bond issues and refinancing of outstanding debt — a huge spate of borrowing that the NY Times said was the largest sale of municipal bonds in history (that’s all of recorded human history, not just MTA history).

New Jersey: The Problem with New Rail Lines

Supporters of the proposed Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex (MOM) commuter rail line, including county officials, business leaders and environmental groups rallied in Lakewood last week. They called on NJ Transit to finish off its environmental review and decide which of two main routes it supports.

Easier Road for Goethals Project?

As the environmental review process to fix or replace the Goethals bridge begins, former critics of the 1990s "twin" bridge proposal hope the new study creates significant room for common ground.

Return of the Route 347 Study

The NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation recently reported that NY State DOT "has determined that the proposed Route 347 Reconstruction, Northern State Parkway to Route 25A may have a significant adverse impact on the environment" and will accordingly prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the project.

Showdown Over NJ Truck Rules

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the League of Municipalities have filed separate friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the State’s appeal of a U.S. District Court opinion striking down New Jersey regulations that prohibit some large trucks from using smaller state highways. The lawsuit against the truck rules had been filed by the American Trucking Associations. The State has also filed its appeal. 

Feds Seek to Streamline Driveway to Sprawl

The US DOT recently added the extension of Route 11 in Connecticut to its list of "Priority Transportation Projects." A September 2002 executive order by President Bush requires federal agencies to expedite environmental review of such projects in the name of "streamlining" and "environmental stewardship." However, it remains far from clear how such designation will actually speed the project.

Projects Nominated for U.S. Streamlining List

Transportation work nominated for federal streamlining in the Tri-State region is a mixed bag of road, transit and freight projects. Many projects face more daunting hurdles than winning environmental permits, which makes us dubious about the substance of "priority" designations.

108th Congress Throws in the Transportation Towel

On September 30^th Congress passed, and the White House signed into law an eight month extension of the federal transportation legislation TEA-21. It marks the sixth extension of the law since it expired last Autumn. In contrast, TEA-21’s predecessor, ISTEA, was extended only once, for six months. Washington seemed hamstrung between the increasing needs of the country’s transportation system, the political allergy to raising new revenue for anything and political disarray among Republicans who exhibited a wide range of positions and instincts about the problem. 

Transit Chek Bill

Last week the NYC City Council transportation committee discussed proposed legislation (Intro 243) to require companies with 50 or more employees to offer the federal transit commuting benefit. It allows workers at participating companies to buy up to $100 per month in transit fares with pre-tax income, offering significant savings. In much of the region, the program is known as TransitChek.

GO TO INDEX of past issues of MTR, since Fall 1994.ll M

MTR 475-October 4, 2004

MTR 474-September 27, 2004

MTR 473-September 20, 2004

MTR 472-September 14, 2004