Port Authority agrees to help pay for Pulaski Skyway, Wittpenn Bridge and Route 1&9 projects that will improve Hudson County access and mobility

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Port Authority agreed Tuesday, at the request of Gov. Chris Christie, to take part in an overhaul of the Pulaski Skyway and other road projects estimated to cost $1.8 billion.

Without public discussion, the agency's Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing "participation" in the projects.

The skyway, along with the Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge over the Hackensack River and stretches of Route 1&9 in need of improvement, are not owned or operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Even so, the governor called on the bistate agency to spend $1.8 billion on the projects, using money originally set aside for a trans-Hudson commuter rail tunnel that Christie killed over cost concerns.

Using Port Authority money on the road projects essentially shifts the cost from taxpayers to toll payers and Port Authority tenants. Some regional transportation experts said the governor's request could set a precedent that would make the bistate agency a rainy day fund to bail out the states in tough times.

THE STAR-LEDGER