You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. Committee Meeting of ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES COMMITTEE "The Commissioner of Transportation and other experts on transportation matters in the State of New Jersey will testify regarding the repair and rehabilitation of the Pulaski Skyway and other issues concerning the Department of Transportation" ASSEMBLY BILL No. 3529 “Designates Paterson Plank Road bridge in the Town of Secaucus as “Joseph F. Tagliareni Jr. Memorial Bridge” LOCATION: Hudson County Community College DATE: February 28, 2013 North Hudson Higher Education Center 9:30 a.m. Union City, New Jersey MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE PRESENT: Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, Chair Assemblywoman Linda Stender, Vice Chair Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin Assemblyman Charles S. Mainor Assemblyman Ruben J. Ramos Jr. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle Assemblywoman Nancy F. Munoz Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf ALSO PRESENT: Charles A. Buono Jr. Aaron Binder Glen Beebe Patrick Brennan Assembly Majority Assembly Republican Office of Legislative Services Committee Aide Committee Aide Committee Aides Meeting Recorded and Transcribed by The Office of Legislative Services, Public Information Office, Hearing Unit, State House Annex, PO 068, Trenton, New Jersey You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Glen E. Gabert, Ph.D. President Hudson County Community College 2 Thomas A. DeGise County Executive Hudson County, and First Vice Chair Executive Committee North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority 6 Jerramiah T. Healy Mayor City of Jersey City 12 Steven Fulop Councilman Ward E City of Jersey City 20 Anthony J. Attanasio Assistant Commissioner Government and Community Relations New Jersey Department of Transportation 29 Richard T. Hammer Assistant Commissioner Capital Program Management New Jersey Department of Transportation 35 Anthony DeJohn New Jersey Area Manager Parsons Brinckerhoff 35 Ali Maher, Ph.D. Director Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, and Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 87 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Page Kay LiCausi President, and Chief Executive Officer Hoboken Strategy Group, Inc. 90 Janna Chernetz, Esq. New Jersey Advocate Tri-State Transportation Campaign 93 Robert Luckritz, Esq. Director Government Relations Jersey City Medical Center LibertyHealth System 97 Maria L. Nieves President, and Chief Executive Officer Hudson County Chamber of Commerce 101 Brett Harwood Partner Harwood Properties and Square Parking 105 William F. Wissemann Senior Project Engineer Newport Associates Development Company 107 APPENDIX: Testimony, plus Attachments, plus Press release submitted by Anthony J. Attanasio 1x PowerPoint presentations presented by New Jersey Department of Transportation 16x You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) APPENDIX (continued) Testimony submitted by Maria L. Nieves 76x Testimony submitted by Brett Harwood 77x Testimony submitted by William F. Wissemann 78x pnf 1-116 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN S. WISNIEWSKI (Chair): Good morning. I’d like to call this meeting of the Assembly Transportation Committee to order. We’ll start with a roll call, please. MR. BUONO (Committee Aide): Assemblyman Rumpf. ASSEMBLYMAN RUMPF: Here. MR. BUONO: Assemblywoman Munoz. ASSEMBLYWOMAN MUNOZ: Here. MR. BUONO: Assemblyman Ramos. ASSEMBLYMAN RAMOS: Present. MR. BUONO: Assemblyman Mainor. (no response) Assemblyman Giblin. (no response) Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle. ASSEMBLYWOMAN VAINIERI HUTTLE: Here. MR. BUONO: Assemblyman Chivukula. ASSEMBLYMAN CHIVUKULA: Here. MR. BUONO: Assemblywoman Caride. (no response) Vice Chair Stender. ASSEMBLYWOMAN LINDA STENDER (Vice Chair): Here. MR. BUONO: Chairman Wisniewski. ASSEMBLYMAN WISNIEWSKI: Here. We have a quorum. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here this morning on this important public policy discussion on the Department of Transportation’s plans to do renovations to the Pulaski Skyway. I want to 1 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. say, at the outset, as Chairman of the Committee -- and I think it’s probably a sentiment shared by everybody on the Committee -- we all agree that the Pulaski Skyway is in dire need of work. And we’re very happy that the work is about to begin. Members of this Committee have been approached by constituents from all areas of the state who are affected by this with concerns about the plans that we’ve read, on how the work will be done and the potential dislocation and inconvenience that it will cause folks in Hudson County and in Essex County and, quite frankly, throughout the northeast region of the state, as well as those people commuting in and out of New Jersey from New York City. Our goal today is to get answers, to understand it better. My view of this Committee’s role -- and any Assembly Committee -- is to ask questions and to get answers. We can then make informed judgments as to legislation that may be needed or policy changes that may be wise. But if we don’t ask the questions and have the hearings then we’re just operating in the dark. We are, today, at the Hudson County Community College. This wonderful facility is serving as our host forum for this hearing of the Transportation Committee. We have with us this morning the President of Hudson County Community College. And I would like to welcome Dr. Glen Gabert to come and say a few words of welcome before the Committee. G L E N E. G A B E R T, Ph.D.: (off mike) Thank you very much. ASSEMBLYMAN WISNIEWSKI: Please, if you would sit at the-- So it gets recorded for the record. 2 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. DR. GABERT: All right. But I need to be very careful about what I say. (laughter) Well, we’re delighted to welcome you to the Hudson County Community College. We have almost 10,000 students attending this college on two campuses. This is one of our beautiful campuses; the other one is in Journal Square. This is really an interesting campus. It is, literally, on top of the light rail station and it’s the busiest light rail station on the line. You don’t even have to go outside -- you can go up to the third floor, across the bridge, down, and go down and take the subway. And this was a wonderful support-- This building is an example of what the Assembly and the Senate supports through its Chapter 12 program -- wonderful State support for this, and County support. We’re proud of the building; we’re really proud to have you here. And it’s a great site for you to be having this hearing, since the Pulaski Skyway, about 90 percent of it, is in Hudson County. So welcome to the college, and we’re sure this is going to be a great day for you. Thank you so much for coming. ASSEMBLYMAN WISNIEWSKI: Dr. Gabert, thank you very much. Thank you for the hospitality you have extended to us. It’s, as I said, a wonderful facility and a great opportunity for legislators to see what our decision making in Trenton actually produces in the various counties around our state that help educate our children. I’d like to note for the record that we have two substitutions. We have Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz joining us and substituting in for a member, as well as Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle substituting in. Both of you, welcome, and thank you for participating. 3 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. Assemblyman Ruben Ramos is a member of the Committee and has long expressed interest in the Pulaski Skyway -- as long as I can remember. He and I serve in the Legislature together; this has been one of the issues of prime concern to him. And for a brief opening statement, I turn it over to Assemblyman Ramos. ASSEMBLYMAN RAMOS: Thank you, Chairman. I really appreciate the opportunity here today. And good morning and thank you all for attending. ASSEMBLYMAN WISNIEWSKI: Ruben, you don’t have any amplification. ASSEMBLYMAN RAMOS: This mike doesn’t work? ASSEMBLYMAN WISNIEWSKI: That’s only recording; you don’t have any amplification, so just belt it out. ASSEMBLYMAN RAMOS: I have to belt it out? (laughter) Should I sing soprano or--? Good morning, all, and thank you for attending this morning. Before we hear testimony from the public, I want to take the opportunity to thank Chairman Wisniewski and the members of the Committee for holding this special hearing and for coming to Hudson County this morning. I’d like to thank Richard Hammer and Anthony Attanasio, New Jersey Department of Transportation, for joining us, as well as elected officials, and all local residents who are here to participate in this discussion about fixing the Pulaski Skyway. And last, but certainly not least, I’d like to extend a special thank you to President Glen Gabert and Hudson County Community College for graciously allowing us to use their campus for this hearing. 4 You're viewing an archived copy from the New Jersey State Library. Anyone who has driven the Pulaski Skyway during peak hours knows the heavy volume it bears. The communities of Hoboken and Jersey City endure bumper-to-bumper traffic before they even get on the highway. The Pulaski Skyway is an important artery for both commuters heading towards Manhattan and residents of what we call the Gold Coast of New Jersey traveling to other areas of our state as well. So when the flow of traffic stops, we need to ensure that our local infrastructure is equipped to manage the heavy traffic that will be directed its way.