By Aidan Lutz ‘27 With the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, many people wonder “How will this help my community?” Here in New Jersey, it means safe bridges and roads, proofing highways from extreme weather, working on the long-overdue Portal North Bridge infrastructure project, and more. With New Jersey being the most densely populated state in our country, it’s no surprise billions of dollars have gone to the government of New Jersey to improve our infrastructure.
Roughly speaking, $6.8 billion has gone to improving highways, while $4.1 billion will go to the state transit system, New Jersey Transit (NJT). One crucial part of the passing of this bill is the Portal North Bridge. On October 25th, 2021, government officials broke ground on the Portal North Bridge, a weak link in the general Northeast corridor of rail in the country. “When the Portal Bridge was built, it was state-of-the-art, and it was, 110 years ago,” said President Biden, emphasizing the importance of rebuilding this bridge. This is the single largest infrastructure project in NJT’s 42-year history. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), joined dozens of business groups in lobbying for the passage of the bill, saying it would help NJ in the larger global economy. Train passengers who travel into NYC for work on NJT can in the coming years expect better service and fewer delays. In addition, this money will give NJT more room to hire people or do more long-term improvements. |
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February 2022
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