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SECOND ROUND OF HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING
ANNOUNCED
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Governor
Christie announced a second round of higher education construction
funding, making $180 million available to build, repair and update critically
needed academic facilities for our State's colleges and
universities. Institutions are invited to compete for the funding by
submitting grant applications that can be found here.
The
money being made available, as the second round of funding from the 2012 bond
act, will be awarded to projects that meet State priorities and help students
prepare for high-demand fields. Rochelle Hendricks, Secretary of Higher Education
and her staff will be collaborating with the NJ Educational Facilities
Authority, the Treasurer's office, and the Schools Development Authority to
deliver this new funding for critically needed projects.
Hendricks
said "I am pleased that the State is renewing its commitment to higher
education, to ensure that students will enjoy new and improved facilities for
years to come. Our goal is provide our world-class students and faculty with
facilities and laboratories that they deserve!"
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RONNIE HAKIM APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF THE
MTA
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MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast announced the
appointment of Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim as the eighth permanent
president of the agency, which moves more than 8 million daily customers on
subways, buses, the Staten Island Railway and paratransit service.
Hakim will begin serving as President effective December
28.
Hakim is a career transportation professional who returns to
the MTA after an earlier 23-year career at the agency. For the past year and
a half she has served as the Executive Director of NJ TRANSIT, which operates
12 commuter rail lines, three light rail lines, 261 bus routes and Access
Link paratransit service across the state of New Jersey. She previously
served nearly four years as Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
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PLANNED CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN NEW JERSEY
REMAINS AT $39 BILLION
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The volume of public and private construction over the
next two years will remain constant around $39 billion. That was the
result of the 31st annual Construction Forecast Seminar by the New Jersey
Alliance for Action.
Thirty government agencies and private sector businesses
and organizations reported on anticipated construction activities for 2016
and 2017. Their total of $39.4 billion fell just short of the record
$39.8 billion set at the seminar held last year.
Alliance President Philip K. Beachem noted that
utilities construction again was a leader at $7.2 billion and that New
Jersey's pharmaceutical and medical technology companies showed renewed
strength with a two-year total project plans of $3 billion. Public and
private colleges and universities also reported strong construction and
renovation projects, as did the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
with $2.8 billion on the public side.
To view the complete chart click here.
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ALLIANCE RECEIVES BREAKDOWN ON PORT AUTHORITY
CAPITAL PLANS
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The Alliance for Action received a project-by-project
breakdown of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ten-year, $27.6
billion capital plan from the official who will play a key role in
implementation. Several hundred Alliance members and supporters turned
out for the presentation by Jim Starace, the Authority's new Chief Engineer.
Starace, said many of the planned projects present
"tremendous challenges" in continuing services to the public while
construction is underway.
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BUILDING A SOCIAL MEDIA ARMY
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The New Jersey Alliance for Action launched a unique
program linking modern technology and the power of social media for public
education on how vital transportation is to the economy and the quality of
their own lives.
Alliance President Philip K. Beachem stressed to a
capacity audience at the Alliance's annual State Transportation Conference
that "Communication methods have changed."
The innovative Alliance effort, Beachem said, will offer a
modern resource to help generate broad-based public support for funding to
keep the state's vital transportation system efficient, safe and able to meet
always expanding needs. The State Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) will
run out of dollars for projects next summer, he reminded the three hundred
attendees.
Over the past year, as the deadline nears, the Alliance
has arranged for photographs by county and legislative district to
demonstrate worst examples of deteriorating infrastructure --- roads, bridges
and traffic congestion.
The value of social media, Beachem declared, is that they
also can be used by recipients of the photos to share their concerns by
sharing them on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The system is in place, Beachem asserted, and now is the
time to use it. He urged those who want to be participants to reach out
to the Alliance. Click here to view the
photo database.
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MROZ REPORTS ON UPDATE
OF NEW JERSEY ENERGY MASTER PLAN
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An update of New
Jersey's Energy Master Plan adopted in 2011 will be completed in the
"very near future" was the report given to several hundred Alliance
for Action members and supporters by Richard Mroz, President of the State
Board of Public Utilities.
Mroz, who is
chairman of the committee working on the update, said the 2011 Plan contained
five key goals and thirty-one recommendations, some of which already have led
to improvements.
As a result, he
added, the decision was made to update, not rewrite, the overall Plan.
Mroz told the group
hosted by the Alliance that one key part of the update will be a new section
on resiliency --- a decision boosted by the recent storms that devastated New
Jersey.
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PSE&G REACHES $905 MILLION AGREEMENT TO
REPLACE AGING GAS PIPES
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Public Service
Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey's largest utility, today
announced a $905 million settlement in principle with the staff of the New
Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the New Jersey Division of Rate
Counsel to expedite the replacement of aging gas pipes. The agreement
detailing this three-year program will be submitted to the BPU for formal
approval.
In a filing with the
BPU announced on March 2, PSE&G sought approval to invest $1.6 billion
during five years to accelerate the replacement of 800 miles of cast iron and
unprotected steel gas mains, and 55,000 unprotected steel service lines to
homes and business. The settlement will enable the utility to replace up to
510 miles of gas mains and 38,000 service lines over the three-year
period.
"In addition to
ensuring the continued safety and reliability of our gas system, the Gas
System Modernization Program will enable us to create 500 direct, sustained
jobs over the three-year period -- providing an economic boost for New
Jersey," said Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G President.
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PSEG TO CONSTRUCT $600 MILLION PLANT IN
WOODBRIDGE
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Public
Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) will build a $600 million power plant in
Sewaren to supply electricity to about 500,000 New Jersey homes.
The
plant will be constructed at PSEG Power's existing Sewaren Generating Station
site. It will replace four Sewaren Units which will be retired after
almost 70 years of providing energy to the region.
The
540-megawatt plant will use combined-cycle technology, producing electricity
and capturing waste from the gas turbine to increase efficiency and output,
according to PSEG spokesman Michael Jennings. He reported the project will
generate about 350 union jobs during the two year construction beginning in
early 2016 and employ up to 28 full-time workers after it becomes operational
.
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ROUTE 66 TO BE WIDENED WITH $12 MILLION IN
FEDERAL FUNDS
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The
State of New Jersey will receive $12 million in federal funding to widen a
section of Route 66 through Neptune Township that has caused traffic problems
for years. Rep. Chris Smith, (R-4th Dist.), said the road has remained
only one lane in each direction despite rapid development in the area.
The
1.2-mile section to be widened runs east of the Garden State Parkway from
Jumping Brook Road to Browne/Wayside Road just west of Route 18 in Monmouth
County. Built in the 1940's, Route 66 had been widened in all but that
section over the years as retail shopping centers and other development
occurred. Smith said the crash rate of Route 66 us three times the
state average for that type of road.
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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
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