Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt announced today they will be introducing legislation requiring a government assessment of the current condition of coastal counties’ transportation infrastructure, primarily focused on identifying upgrades needed for emergency evacuations. The findings by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NJ Transit would be finalized in a report to be submitted to the Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees. Counties that would be evaluated under the 9th District Legislators’ initiative would consist of Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties.
“Preparing for a safe and expedient evacuation in an emergency situation requires a transportation infrastructure capable of handling the volume of traffic,” said Senator Connors, a member of the Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Aside from their vulnerability to hurricanes and other harsh weather conditions by virtue of being located near the shore line, coastal counties must manage the difficult task of preparing evacuation plans that accommodate varying populations during the vacation season. To address this critical issue, the first logical step is for an objective, sober assessment that accurately identifies transportation infrastructure upgrades needed in these areas, which is exactly what our legislation calls for.”
Specific transportation infrastructure needs of each county would be evaluated in the report, including, but not limited to, necessary repair, maintenance, and improvement of existing roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines. The environmental impact of any new construction would also be examined as well the estimated costs of meeting the transportation infrastructure needs of each county and the region as a whole. The State Police and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness would assist with the assessment.
Assemblyman Rumpf, the ranking Republican member of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works Committee and Independent Authorities Committee, remarked, “As Co-chairman of the New Jersey Coastal Evacuation Task Force, testimony offered by experts left no doubt in my mind that any long-term plan for improving upon current state evacuation procedures begins with upgrading highways and existing mass transit. The unjustifiable and prolonged delay of work on the Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridge stands as a testimony to the state’s lack of action on this critical public safety issue. Even when the state had the funds for this project, it did not proceed with the project despite the fact that the bridge serves as the only means of ingress and egress from Long Beach Island.”
“In a bipartisan effort, we have introduced several bills to enhance and enable coastal evacuation plans, ranging from prohibiting the towing of boats in an evacuation to requiring evacuation strategies for hospitals and other health care facilities,” said Assemblyman Van Pelt. “However, it is a fact that glaring holes exist in current evacuation plans for no other reason than the only available roadways are inadequate to handle the volume of traffic an emergency would generate. Identifying and prioritizing infrastructure deficiencies are tantamount to laying the ground work for a strategy to prevent our state from experiencing problems encountered by states in the Gulf Coast region during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”
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