ASSEMBLY, No. 1513

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 8, 1996

By Assemblyman GEIST

An Act concerning the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The Commissioner of Transportation shall allocate and transfer $4,200,000 from a part or all of any item or items funded in Fiscal Year 1997 from the revenues and other funds of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority to a new item for advance acquisition of rights-of-way by the New Jersey Transit Corporation for a rail transit corridor in Gloucester County.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately but shall remain inoperative until enactment into law of the annual appropriation act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997 (P.L.1996, c. ).

STATEMENT

    This bill directs the Commissioner of Transportation to allocate and transfer $4,200,000 from an item or items in the Fiscal Year 1997 transportation capital program of the State funded by the revenues of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority to a new item for the advance acquisition of rights-of-way by NJ Transit for a rail transit corridor in Gloucester County. An assessment study undertaken by NJ Transit, with the assistance of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and a private engineering consultant, considered the potential for new transit services on existing railroad and highway rights-of-way in Gloucester County. The results of the assessment study indicated that transit investments in the Gloucester County corridor should be pursued because there is sufficient demand, the revenue/cost ratio is reasonable, and such investment has strong public support. Moreover, in the absence of transportation investments to increase capacity, the anticipated future growth in population, employment and car ownership in the Gloucester County corridor will degrade traffic conditions and worsen air pollution in this area.

    Consequently, as NJ Transit continues to develop and refine the rail transit proposal for Gloucester County, monies should be made available now to permit NJ Transit to acquire rights-of-way in a timely and cost effective manner.

Directs DOT Commissioner to allocate $4.2 million in Transportation Trust Fund monies for advance acquisition of rights-of-way for Gloucester County rail transit corridor.