NJ Senate President Says Transportation Trust Fund Is Key Priority

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - The Transportation Trust Fund is set to run out of money at the end of this fiscal year, June 30, to pay for roads and bridge repairs. But Gov. Chris Christie said nothing about it during his budget address Tuesday.

"Listen, I was surprised not to hear about the TTF, I was surprised not to hear about Atlantic City," Senate President Steve Sweeney told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.

Sweeney said Atlantic City hits the budget too, with money invested in reviving the resort town and potential revenues, but he said funding the Transportation Trust Fund is a key priority.

State Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Brackens, who also heads up a transportation advocacy group, was also surprised not to hear it in the budget address.

"This is the one issue, our infrastructure, that impacts every single citizen, every single day," Brackens said.

"There's not a road that anyone drives on that isn't paid for with dollars coming from taxes or fees," Sweeney said.

Sweeney said he and the assembly speaker basically have a proposal they agree on as democrats.

"What it really comes down to now is we need the administration," Sweeney said.

Because, the senate president said, this will be a bipartisan deal.

During his budget address, Christie proposed a massive restructuring of the public employees' pension system as he presented a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that does not respond to a judge's ruling calling on the state to put an additional $1.57 billion into the system in the current fiscal year.