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 30th 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.
