CONTRIBUTORS

Opinion: A new governor, new infrastructure goals for New Jersey

Greg Lalevee
Phil Murphy, New Jersey Governor Elect, greets commuters at the Hoboken Path Station Wednesday morning with Hoboken Mayor Elect Ravi Bhalla.

Congratulations, Governor-elect Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney and the strong Democratic majorities in both houses of the Legislature.  Now that the Election Night victory parties are behind us, this is the time to set a clear path for New Jersey.

After eight years of a governor who preferred making headlines to doing the hard work of actually governing, New Jersey is sorely in need of a leader who makes decisions based on what New Jersey needs, not a personal agenda. There are five areas of immediate attention when it comes to putting New Jersey residents back to work and building a state sorely in need of economic growth.

Rail infrastructure

First is our transportation infrastructure.  Yes, the Transportation Trust Fund was restored last year, but so much more needs to be done.  NJ Transit is a laughingstock.  Not only are riders subjected to delays, cancellations and even on a good day an uncomfortable ride, there are real safety concerns as well.  Governor-elect Murphy was right to make the woeful condition of our transit agency a priority of his campaign.  Now he must work to deliver on the funding sources he committed to achieving and the labor movement is here to help.

Two NJ Transit trains pass each other on a swing bridge over the Hackensack River that is being replaced.

But there’s more – Amtrak’s ambitious Gateway program – the most important infrastructure project in the United States.  Building new rail tunnels under the Hudson and improving the approaches in New Jersey is of course dependent on federal funding.  Our new governor must be a more forceful voice than we have had with our U.S. senators and members of Congress to ensure this project is properly funded.  Think about the anxiety when some trains were canceled over the summer as Amtrak undertook its Penn Station renewal.  Imagine if we had no train service at all.

That’s the reality if Gateway doesn’t begin soon as the badly damaged tubes NJ Transit and Amtrak currently use are rapidly approaching the end of their useful life.

Water systems

Second is our water infrastructure.  Too many of our municipal water systems are dependent on wooden pipes that date to the 1800s.  It’s a joke except to the residents who expect clean and reliable drinking water.  Worse yet are lead-lined pipes.  And this isn’t only in our cities.  Wealthy suburban towns like Ridgewood have warned residents about lead problems in their water.  Then there are sewage systems that during heavy rains dump untreated sewage into our rivers.  That’s not acceptable in New Jersey in the 21st century.  Our new governor needs to pressure utilities to step up and make these improvements.

Energy grid

Third is our energy infrastructure.  No doubt there have been improvements since Superstorm Sandy as PSEG and others have invested heavily in building a more resilient power system.  But more can and should be done, as severe weather resulting from global warming will continue to challenge our energy grid.

NJ Transit:Mechanical problems muck up mornings for NJ Transit commuters

Editorial:Editorial: Gateway moves closer to start line

Editorial:Editorial: Phil Murphy: Fight for us, not with us

Affordable housing

Fourth is affordable housing.  The State Council on Affordable Housing has struggled to achieve its court-mandated goals.  Housing in New Jersey is far too expensive for middle-income residents.  Murphy needs to develop a solution that establishes clear standards to guide municipalities as they attempt to comply with affordable housing requirements – especially suburban towns facing emptying malls and office parks, which need to be reimagined as live, work and play communities.

Urban redevelopment

Finally, is reinvigorating our cities. New Brunswick, Jersey City and now Newark are being heralded for their dramatic improvements, but what about the next level of cities.  Camden is setting the standard and the governor-elect should help cities like Paterson and Trenton follow this model.

Keep in mind, when it came to passing the Transportation Trust Fund last year, the Operating Engineers took the lead in successfully pushing for its renewal to build a 21st century infrastructure system for our state. This is what we elected our leaders to do: create smart, common-sense policies that will improve our state and the welfare of its residents.  Too often in the last several years, this approach was the exception rather than the rule. 

In the Murphy administration this will change and that’s just what New Jersey needs.

Greg Lalevee is chairman of the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative and vice chairman of the Transportation Trust Fund Authority.