Biden infrastructure plan could mean improvements to transportation around New Jersey

President Joe Biden wants Congress to approve more than $2 trillion for an infrastructure plan that he says will create millions of jobs. It is a plan that has Republicans balking at the cost.

News 12 Staff

Apr 1, 2021, 11:40 PM

Updated 1,292 days ago

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President Joe Biden wants Congress to approve more than $2 trillion for an infrastructure plan that he says will create millions of jobs. It is a plan that has Republicans balking at the cost.
But what would this plan mean for New Jersey?
The Garden State has over 500 bridges that have fallen into disrepair. New Jersey Transit is still struggling and there are miles and miles of roadways that are pockmarked with potholes. These are all prime candidates for improvement if Biden’s American Jobs Plan passes through Congress.
The Central Avenue Bridge in Newark was built in 1908. More than three years ago it was discovered that the bridge had several simultaneous and pressing safety concerns due to the degraded and obsolete infrastructure.
Biden’s plan could also mean repairs for Amtrak and Newark Liberty International Airport.
The 495 Bridge over Paterson Plank Road in North Bergen has been rated “functionally obsolete” and “structurally deficient.” There is currently an ongoing project to rehabilitate the bridge.
Some New Jersey residents who spoke to News 12 New Jersey say that they hope that more projects like this can happen if the Biden plan is approved.
State officials and members of Congress also say that they hope the infrastructure bill will finally make the Gateway Project a reality. Funding for a new Portal North Bridge has already been approved, but the Biden plan could dedicate billions more for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
“We’ve already had great changes under this administration to get the project moving,” says Rep. Josh Gottheimer. “Right now you can only get 24 trains in and out in an hour. Less than half of that on the weekends. How do you run an economy like that?”
The president says that the money to pay for the plan will come from increasing taxes on corporations from 21% to 28%.