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Group Says Transportation Improvements Should Be Priority For Next NJ Governor

Jim Florio and Martin Robins say transportation must be a priority.

A non-profit group is urging New Jersey's next governor to put more emphasis on transportation.

Fund for New Jersey says last year's 23-cent gas-tax increase won't provide enough money for all the state' transportation needs.

The group recommends policymakers consider leasing toll roads to private operators and charging tolls on interstate highways to generate more money for transportation projects.

Martin Robins is director emeritus of the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers.

"I'm not personally a big fan of privatizing the Turnpike or something like that. We heard that before and there's been mixed results in that sort of thing. But I think that tolling is going to be on the agenda within the United States and maybe even in New Jersey again."

Former Governor Jim Florio says the transportation system is the key to the state's economic prosperity and believes it should be one of the top priorities for the next governor.

“If you don’t like the cost of transportation, wait until you find out the problems of gridlock, congestion that’s now economically starting to be problematic, indeed eating into productivity.”