acoursen t1_ixal613 wrote on November 22, 2022 at 12:25 AM

Reply to comment by SadMasterpiece7019 in NJ Turnpike Authority Transforms a Useless $4.4B Project into a Useless $10.7B Project by jimmybot

Really? That would be unwise. Bitch all you want about any proposal such as this, but it is a fairly well run agency.

SadMasterpiece7019 t1_ixaqwg4 wrote on November 22, 2022 at 1:11 AM

How so? $10 billion boondoggles aside, of course.

acoursen t1_ixatbmk wrote on November 22, 2022 at 1:29 AM

I don't see anyone bitching about the 6 to 9 widening or the GSP widening that took place over the last decade, and in some cases under budget. They have a 10 year, $24B capital program they are on now that includes widening from Exit 4 to Delaware. Not to mention all the old bridges being repaired or replaced - all the while keeping the operations of each road moving fairly well. And whatever is being planned for this extension will take 20-30 years to be completed, at best. So future planning that may not make a whole lot of sense now, still need to be made and we can't just be thinking for today. North Jersey wouldn't be North Jersey without the infrastructure to make it happen. Yet we keep spitting out more people who need to move around, so instead of waiting for the Jetsons to show us the way that is better, we need to keep improving what we have.

So, back to your question, who would take over these decisions and planning/design processes? What other agency in your eyes would perform better and for less money, while keeping the economic engine of the region performing at it's highest level?

SadMasterpiece7019 t1_ixaumml wrote on November 22, 2022 at 1:39 AM

Highway widening doesn't work. Induced demand has been known for decades. All the NJTA has in their capital plan is highway widening. It's an agency staffed by engineers, funding engineers.

Are you downvoting my replies? lol

acoursen t1_ixawvkl wrote on November 22, 2022 at 1:56 AM

That's correct, to an extent. It's also a prime mover behind sprawl that is an issue. Water under the bridge in NJ. But it takes multi-faceted solutions that has to be accepted and used. Mass transit needs to be better used, but that's not the prime mission of the Turnpike Authority. And what was good for a population in the 40's and 50's isn't going to satisfy the population of now and for the 60-70 ensuing years.

p4177y t1_ixax0ho wrote on November 22, 2022 at 1:57 AM

> $10 billion boondoggles aside, of course.

Would you prefer they not update estimates for capital projects instead? It's not like they've put contracts out to bid.