Fossella Pushes MTA, Port Authority
on High Speed Tolls
Staten Island Congressman Vito Fossella has written to
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port
Authority, urging faster implementation of high-speed,
or “open road” tolling at Staten Island bridges.
Nassau Triggers Long Island Bus Crisis, As Usual
The budget proposed last week by Nassau County Executive
Thomas Suozzi continues the process of eliminating county
support for Long Island Bus, downstate New York’s
most successful suburban bus system. Suozzi proposes
to reduce the county’s contribution to the agency
by $4.8 million. The cut would amount to over 50% of
the county’s contribution to the bus system this
year, and about 4.7% of the system’s annual $101
million operating budget.
Congress at Work on TEA - 2½
With lawmakers and the White House still unable to reach
a compromise on TEA-21 reauthorization, and less than
two weeks to go before TEA-21 expires on September 30th,
Congress is working around the clock to pass an extension
bill granting authority for expenditures from the U.S.
Highway Trust Fund. Without an extension bill, FHWA and
FTA would essentially close shop and state and local
agencies would be unable to expend funds recently passed
in the 2004 appropriations bill.
JFK AirTrain Coming this Fall, With High Fares
According
to the Port Authority, it is on track to open the entire
JFK AirTrain system in November of this year. The service
will connect JFK to the A train at Howard Beach and the
J, M, Z subways and LIRR at Jamaica.
Plan for Meadowlands Rail Link Take Form, But Funding
Questions Remain
Earlier this month, the Bergen
Record reported that NJ state officials have a preliminary
plan for a rail link connecting the Meadowlands arena
site to the new Secaucus Transfer station. The link
could help with existing traffic problems, along with
those that will result from the Mills Corp plan to
build a gigantic recreational complex, Xanadu, on the
site.
New Jersey's Truck Route on Trial:
ATA V. Whitman Wraps Up
Over the last two weeks, a federal judge in Trenton
heard expert testimony from the American Trucking Association
and the State of New Jersey. The case is the ATA’s
suit against the NJ DOT and former Gov. Whitman for
adopting, in 1999, what ATA claims is a truck route
restriction that burdens interstate commerce in violation
of the U.S. Constitution. Though a ruling may be several
weeks off, the proceedings provided a fascinating look
at goods movement and road pricing dynamics across
the Garden State.
