Transportation decision-making is fragmented among federal, state, local, and regional agencies. The backlog of repairs on our existing bridges and roads stands at an all-time high. Our transportation resources have become strained through building costly and inefficient new infrastructure to accommodate sprawl-type development in more rural areas, rather than using them for upkeep of infrastructure in older suburbs, towns, and cities. Economic An efficient and dependable transport system is a basic and necessary ingredient for any kind of economic success. Transportation is especially important to our economy, as New Jersey is an international shipping and transportation hub for cars, trucks, ships, airplanes, and trains.
Maintenance costs are simply part of the price of doing business.
However, as with all business expenses, we can be dragged down by the cost if our transportation and land use systems are not planned and do not operate efficiently. The environmental impact of a deficit in infrastructure repair depends on the reasons for the deficit and the actions New Jerseyans take in response. When the repair backlog exists because new roads and bridges are being built at the expense of the old, there are environmental consequences. Development will move to the new roads, create new demand in new areas, trigger the need for more roads, and speed the pace of paving New Jersey's remaining farms and forests. Knowledge Gaps This indicator does not report on the backlog of repair work for non-road infrastructure, such as trains or sidewalks.