The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) faces insolvency.  A combination of high debt payments, stagnant revenues, and an increasing need for capital improvements has placed our transportation system in dire jeopardy.  As dialogue continues toward a solution, LaborNET has picked up on some interesting facts worth sharing.

Inaction is costly

Driving on roads in need of repair costs New Jersey motorists $3.6 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs – $604.88 per motorist.

Poor roads are unsafe roads

Poor roadway conditions are a contributing factor in more than half of roadway fatalities, according to research by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).

Things more expensive than your gas 

Fuji Water- $10.24 / gallon

Starbucks coffee $19.73 / gallon

Milk 3.56 / gallon

Gas $1.94 / Gallon

Not a Political Death Sentence

According to the non-partisan advocacy group, Transportation for America, since 2012 98% of representatives who voted yes on bills to raise transportation revenue won their next primary.

Job Creation

For every $1 billion invested in public transportation infrastructure, the equivalent of 50,731 jobs are created. 

How bad must things get?

The American Society of Civil Engineers report that 66% of the New Jersey’s roads are in “poor or mediocre condition” and 651 bridges are “structurally deficient”.

Broad Support to Act

Among the groups advocating for action to fund and reform the state’s TTF though the group Forward New Jersey are 15 chambers of commerce and 19 different international unions.  Labor and management both agree something must be done now.