5 Comments on “Christie, Democrats take another stab at ending N.J. road funding crisis”

1. 
   Steve Adams said at 12:23 pm on August 30th, 2016:

   Why does the State of NJ have a law requiring taxpayers to pay above fair market value for transportation projects?

   Should taxpayers pay more than fair market value?

   Who would support paying much more than fair market value?

   The State Law requiring unions be used, and that even laborers be paid about $100 per hour is just plain crazy. Why does the state require that we pay more than fair market value? This is a decision by Democratic politicians to payoff unions over meeting their ethical responsibilities to taxpayers.

   Taxes shouldn’t be increased until projects are bid out at market value, without absurd required labor rates that cheat taxpayers.

2. 
   @ Steve Adams said at 6:03 pm on August 30th, 2016:

   You bring up great questions Mr. Adams. I would like to know why our Republican Assembly people here in Monmouth County–Dave Rible, Declan O’Scanlon, Rob Clifton, and Sean Kean, can’t ask the same questions, AND wanted refused to vote against the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon??

   It’s time to seriously consider to primary these folks, or I will vote the alternative.

3. 
   Steve Adams said at 10:54 am on August 31st, 2016:

   I’m confident our Republican officials believe in competitive procurement for our transportation projects.
   I’m equally sure the Democrats like the union payoffs that union /prevailing wage laws generate for them.

   How would the Dems react to a simple change in the law saying: It a non-union bid for a State contract was 20% lower the state would accept the non-union proposal.

   The taxpayers, Democrat and Republican taxpayers would not want the State politicians paying too much for projects. This would give taxpayers a chance to see the amounts being wasted.

4. 
   Steve Adams said at 12:46 pm on August 31st, 2016:

   Does this info from the APP get anyone that is a taxpayer pissed off? Even Dems should be furious because they pay taxes too…
   —–
   Cost overruns for reconstructing 12.5 miles of the superstorm Sandy-battered Route 35 have topped $76 million – including paying contractors millions of dollars to remain idle for months – making it one of the most expensive roadway projects in the state’s history, an Asbury Park Press investigation found.

   The final price tag for the reconstruction will hit $341 million — a cost that is 31 times more per mile than a typical road cost in New Jersey, the Press found. That is three times the money the state government spends each year to keep its bridges in working order.

   Because of the overruns, state taxpayers will likely end up footing a greater share of the reconstruction costs for the largest federally funded Sandy transportation project in New Jersey.
   —- more in the APP…

5. 
   This is NJ, said at 10:31 am on September 1st, 2016:

   and as honestly and hard public procurement folks try, even smaller quotations require a list of every “prevailing wage” job category- even apprentice titles, from our NJ Dept of Labor, be provided to the bidding or quote documents. As usual, these higher wages make it harder for smaller firms to compete, and who is always the biggest loser?- the taxpayer. Due to the very political nature of our state, with such strong Union and large construction firms contributing so much to the mostly Dem officials, I do not see any NJ public projects ever getting more reasonable in cost. ( attention legislators: this means, get to work, and change some of the bidding laws!). Add to this, the fact that critical infrastructure projects are constantly delayed, because so many social programs’ funding keep ballooning, and you have many reasons why we crumble more, get more dangerous, and look more shabby, every year.