Urges United States Congress to dedicate additional federal funds for highway maintenance and infrastructure improvements in New Jersey.

SR77

SENATE RESOLUTION No. 77

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 5, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL

District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges United States Congress to dedicate additional
federal funds for highway maintenance and infrastructure improvements in New
Jersey.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Senate
Resolution
respectfully urging the United
States Congress to dedicate additional federal funds for highway maintenance
and infrastructure improvements in New Jersey.

Whereas,
The New Jersey Department
of Transportation estimates that motorists travel more than 180 million miles
per day on the a
pproximately 39,000
miles of public roadways in the
State; and

Whereas,
According to a report
released in 2016 by TRIP, a national non-profit transportation research group,
37 percent of New Jersey�s roads were in poor condition, 41 percent of New
Jersey�s roads were in mediocre or fair condition, and 35 percent of New Jersey�s
bridges exhibited significant deterioration or did not meet design standards at
the time, of which nine percent were structurally deficient and 26 percent were
functionally obsolete; and

Whereas,
TRIP estimated that in 2016
roads in poor condition cost motorists in the State approximately $3.9 billion
per year in vehicle repairs and operating costs and $6.2 billion a year in
congestion-related delay costs; and

Whereas,
TRIP estimated that roadway
conditions were a significant factor in one-third of the approximately 600
annual traffic-related deaths in the State; and

Whereas,
In the Annual Highway
Report issued by the Reason Foundation, New Jersey�s highway system ranked 30th
in percent of bridges in structurally deficient condition, 50th in urbanized
area congestion, and 47th in urban interstate pavement condition; and

Whereas,
According to the Reason
Foundation�s Annual Highway Report, New Jersey has spent more on the
maintenance of roads and bridges per mile of state-controlled road than any
other state, and although New Jersey invests more per mile of highway than any
other state, its roads and bridges continue to rank among the worst in the
country making additional federal investment in the State�s roads and bridges
crucial to the safety and convenience of those who use them; and

Whereas,
New Jersey is a key
corridor state located between two major metropolitan areas, and the benefits
derived from a well-maintained transportation infrastructure not only support
commerce and economic activity between those metropolitan areas but also provide
significant benefits to the region and the nation as a whole making it
imperative that adequate funding be provided by the federal government to
support the State�s transportation infrastructure; and

Whereas,
New Jersey�s location in
relation to the Port of New York and New Jersey, which handles over 3.3 million
containers per year and provides much needed goods and inventory to businesses
throughout the region and the nation, demonstrates a critical need for adequate
transportation infrastructure; and

Whereas,
In addition to benefiting
New Jersey residents, additional federal investment in the State�s roads and
bridges will make it safer and more reliable to transport goods through the
State, extending the impact of such investment to the entire country; and

Whereas,
It has been documented that
for every dollar New Jersey sends in taxes to the federal government, the State
receives a fraction in highway dollars in return; and

Whereas,
This disparity needs to be
diminished and adequate funding provided to New Jersey to support the
maintenance of the State�s highways and improvements to the State�s
transportation infrastructure; and

Whereas,
In a struggling economy,
investing in improvements to the transportation infrastructure creates much
needed jobs in the construction and engineering industries and in every
industry that relies on both intrastate and interstate commerce; and

Whereas,
It is altogether fitting
and proper and in the best interests of the citizens of this State and the
nation for this House to respectfully urge the United States Congress to invest
additional dollars in maintaining highways and improving the transportation
infrastructure in this State; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey:

���� 1.��� This House respectfully
urges the United States Congress to invest additional federal dollars in
maintaining the highways and improving the transportation infrastructure in
this State.

���� 2.��� Copies of this
resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the
Secretary of the Senate to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United
States Senate, the Speaker and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United
States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected from this
State.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution respectfully
urges the United States Congress to invest additional federal dollars in
maintaining the highways and improving the transportation infrastructure in
this State.