The Personal Injury Attorney Near Me Bayonne, NJ, You Can Trust

The NJ Turnpike Authority (NJTA) Board of Commissioners unanimously approved (8-0) a memorandum of understanding with the City of Bayonne to begin the $6 billion Newark Bay Bridge project, part of the larger turnpike widening effort, at today’s meeting.

By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View

In December, they announced that they would not increase the number of lanes between the bridge and the Holland Tunnel, which was widely viewed as the worst part of the multi-year, multi-billion dollar project. However, many still want the overall project halted.

During public comment, John Reichman, a member of EmpowerNJ, endorsed Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s (D) proposal that would have Kris Kolluri – who recently said the turnpike widening would go over the $10.7 billion budget – run both NJ Transit and the NJTA.

“We recognize the governor stated the bridge should be replaced. But that doesn’t mean the bridge should be doubled in size,” Richman, also an attorney, argued that changing the plan would “remove threat of litigation.”

“Four lanes of bridge traffic will merge into two lanes, causing a massive bottleneck … It makes no sense to tear down the existing highway.”

Reichman believes that the Newark Bay Bridge could be salvaged via repairs as opposed to being outright replaced.

“We’re always going to stand with the NJTA’s capital construction projects,” NJ Alliance for Action Senior Vice President Chris Hartman said in favor of the project.

“I’m really pleased … the Turnpike Authority is revisiting at least some of the over $10 billion expansion. It’s a little unclear if it’s a revisiting or a cosmetic rhetorical revisit. We hope it’s the latter … The one bridge option looks incredibly good,” David Pringle, also of Empower NJ, said.

On that point, Holly Cox contended that the Newark Bay Bridge can be repaired for around $260 million, which would extend it’s life for approximately another four decades.

She also questioned the NJTA Environmental Impact Statement, arguing that the increased pollution from new bridges would especially harm communities of color.

“We have to stop making the climate crisis worst,” she declared.

Environment NJ Director and Empower NJ committee member Doug O’Malley noted Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has been against the expansion for years and Sherrill should follow suit.

“It’s very much at odd of the important priorities of Governor Sherrill … like improved air quality … There needs to be a true examination and pause on the plan,” he argued, criticizing the MOU item with Bayonne on their agenda.

Hudson County Complete Streets Executive Director Emmanuelle Morgan wanted the project paused. She said they didn’t consider alternatives.

“We in Jersey City have the highest rates of asthma … in the state. This project is simply too large for the scale of our county and too expensive for our state,” she declared.

Jersey City Ward E Councilwoman Elena Little also praised Kolluri and, like many others, panned the plan.

“Adding lanes of traffic creates a phenomenon known as induced demand … There’s much better uses for the $11 billion, including but not limited to mass transit,” she argued.

Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32) praised the NJTA’s work during the recent snowstorm and also praised Kolluri before advocating for the one bridge solution.

She elaborated that this effort would save money and not impact public health as much, also highlighting that she introduced a bill to expand the Hudson Bergen Light-Rail, which would create many high paying union jobs.

“We applause the Turnpike Authority for advancing this critical initiative,” Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey (ACCNJ) Government Affairs Director Abby Adams began, speaking in favor of the proposed ramp connections.

“These improvements will … reduce congestion and support the continued growth of our port facilities,” she stated, noting that the expansion is necessary for public safety reasons and will also create thousands of labor jobs.

“Why are we throwing more money after bad money? … We must focus on durability,” began Better Blocks NJ Co-Founder Eric Allen Conner.

He further stated that the Turnpike expansion would hurt the quality of life and the growth of Jersey City.

“The public advocates and elected officials are all uniformly concerned about a bridge … with expanded lanes. “You’re going to have the same bottleneck Work with us … We’re not going away,” Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla (D-32) said.

Next, an MOU between the NJTA and Bayonne was discussed. In a nutshell, it would have the NJTA provide portions of structures demolished to the Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission for display.

They will also provide continuing community access to a municipal park during construction. After construction is completed, they are supposed to create a waterfront walkway too.

The memorandum passed unanimously without debate before the meeting abruptly concluded after about two-and-a-half hours.

BAYONNE, NJ - Bayonne City Council President Gary La Pelusa has confirmed that he will seek reelection to his Third Ward seat, this time, on a ticket headed by his council colleague, and

With a brief break in the middle, La Pelusa, first elected in 2006, is completing his fourth term on the city council.

Representing the Third Ward, La Pelusa has served as council president for the last four years. He is a longtime member of the Bayonne Democratic Committee, a post he has held since 2004 and is founder of the Gary La Pelusa Association, a non-profit group dedicated to informing the public, helping create a better quality of life and helping others in need while recognizing deserving individuals for their dedication and hard work in the community.

Professionally, La Pelusa has grown a successful landscaping business and leads efforts to keep Hudson County's park's greenery looking it's best.

“My biggest issue is stabilizing taxes,” La Pelusa said during an interview with TAPinto Bayonne “I also enjoy helping people.”

His goal, he added, is to continue steering the city in the right direction and attracting more tax rateables, while also making sure the city approves the “right development and attracts the right businesses.”

“I want to see the city built up in the right way but not take away from what we already have.”

While Bayonne still has a lot of business, La Pelusa reflects, much has changed over the last 30 to 35 years, with many mom-and-pop shops making way for warehousing and bigger businesses.

The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor lost thousands of jobs when the military base closed in the 1990s, many of which have been recouped by new warehousing such as the UPS facility.

“We’re looking at possible warehouses for the IMTT property,” La Pelusa said. “This will bring in tax rateables and will also allow us to remediate a really contaminated area.”

While not always on the same page as his colleague, Councilman Neil Carroll, La Pelusa agrees there needs to be more affordable housing and believes this will become possible as the city brings in new industry which will be required to put money into a fund for that purpose, providing additional units for disabled, veterans and the poor.

La Pelusa pointed to a significant change from when he ran for office for the first time in 2006.

“When I first ran, we had a $25 million deficit; last year we had a tiny surplus,” he said. “While we still face new challenges with the cost of healthcare and retirements, we don’t have a huge budget deficit. We have new rateables and a boon of real estate we didn’t have in 2006.”

Another important difference from 2006, he said, is his experience.

“I’m not the young guy learning, now I have institutional knowledge I can use,” he said.

“I know how to get things done and raise money for the city. I want nothing but success for Bayonne. I’m not moving. I live here; I have a house here. While I don’t expect to be on the council forever, I want to make sure the city is running great when I finally leave.”

Running on the same ticket with Booker was not a difficult decision, he said.

“I’ve served on the council with him, I know him personally and how much he cares about maintaining the quality of life here. He’s lived here all his life, and I know he wants what’s best for the city.”