Senators join Secretary LaHood in Hoboken to Support Transit Bill

U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood at the Hoboken Terminal on Monday afternoon, to urge Congress to pass a bipartisan transportation bill that would provide New Jersey with $500 million for transit projects and $1 billion per year in highway funds.

The bill, which has been passed in the U.S. Senate by a 74-22 vote, would also add 54,000 jobs to New Jersey, Lautenberg said. 

Standing at one of the busiest transit hubs in the state, the group of officials—which also included Mayor Dawn Zimmer, County Executive Tom DeGise, Councilwoman Beth Mason and Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano—all urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass it too.

Many Republicans, who have a majority in the House, say they are wary about the pricetag of the bill.

"It's about people and quality of life," Menendez said.  

Nationwide, the bill is supposed to create 2.8 million jobs, according to its supporters.  

New Jersey's infrastructure, Lautenberg said on Monday afternoon, "(is) not built to hold today's traffic volume."

"The transit network is coming apart at the seams," Lautenberg said. More than 200 bridges in the state are deficient, he added, and need to be fixed. 

LaHood, appointed by President Barack Obama, said the bill would increase New Jersey's highway funding by 12 percent and the state's transit funding by 14 percent. 

"This is a good bill," LaHood said, urging Speaker of the House John Boehner to pass the bipartisan bill. "There has never been politics in a transportation bill."

The bill is funded for the coming two years, LaHood said. 

Congressman Albio Sires, however, said he wasn't optimistic, saying that the March 31 deadline by which the bill should be passed may be postponed. 

The bill would have an impact on Hoboken, since it would help fund some of the tunnel projects in the area, LaHood said. 

Mayor Zimmer stressed the importance of the bill for Hoboken, especially because of the high number of people who use public transportation every day. Hoboken has the highest percentage of residents who use public transit in the country.