On October 14, 2016, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law the largest gas tax increase in state history, agreeing to increase the tax from 14.5 cents to 37.5 cents per gallon, the first rise since 1989. Less than a month later, on Election Day, the citizens of New Jersey voted to approve a constitutional requirement that all revenue derived from taxes on motor fuels be deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). Prior to its passage, only 10.5 cents of gasoline and diesel fuel taxes were required to be deposited into the TTF.

Small Team, Large Impact

As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers New Jersey, I was able to contribute to what helped initiate the legislation that made this change. I served on a team that conducted the 2016 New Jersey Infrastructure Report Card. The report card is a snapshot of the state's current infrastructure conditions and needs, informing the public using an A to F grading system.

The team was comprised of less than 30 civil engineering professionals and educators. The group was then divided into smaller teams, each focusing on one of the 13 categories that made up the report card. The categories included water, wastewater, parks, dams, levees, ports, roads, rail, transit, bridges, energy, hazardous waste, and solid waste. My team, a total of three people, was assigned the rail category. All in all, it took about a year to completely finish the report card. We spent about half that time conducting research, reviewing reports, and gathering data on our assigned category. The other half of the year we spent our time analyzing what we found, providing grades, and writing the actual report.

The Results

The categories were evaluated based on eight criterion, including capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. New Jersey received an overall grade of D+. The category that received the highest grade was solid waste, with a B-, and the lowest grade was given to levees and transit, both receiving a D-. Rail, the category my team focused on, received a C.

The report card also included three recommendations that would help raise the state's overall grade. Our first recommendation was to increase revenue in the TTF. We stressed the importance of creating a long-term, reliable funding source for the state's transportation projects. Second, we suggested that there should be a continued effort of building resilient infrastructure. Finally, we recommended that new technologies and strategies be utilized to prioritize infrastructure investments.

Leaving Our Mark

These report cards aren't published annually, rather they're a periodic publication. The last report came out nearly ten years ago, and wasn't quite as thorough as this report. Our report card just so happened to publish in mid-June as the TTF was running out of funds, in hopes of getting legislators and authorities' attention since we wanted to encourage change. I can proudly say that the efforts of my team have made a lasting impact on the state by successfully bringing awareness to our major infrastructure issues. For the next eight years, New Jersey will have a steady stream of funding for transportation projects. I look forward to the next report card that comes out, and hope to see progress and improvements in the grades New Jersey's infrastructure receives.