Christie, Cuomo must decide on toll hikes

Gov. Christie had a three-word reaction to a proposal last week to raise Port Authority tolls: "You're kidding, right?"

Calling it a testament to years of mismanagement, the Republican governor said there was no reason the region should be in the situation where such hefty toll hikes were warranted.

Now that it is, he and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo must decide whether to stop the increases, as the governors have veto authority over the proposal.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has proposed raising tolls by $4 next month on the George Washington Bridge and all tunnels the authority operates, including the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. At peak hours, drivers headed into New York City from New Jersey would pay $12, even with an E-ZPass discount.

The plan also would hike fares on the PATH trains by $1 and raise tolls on cars an additional $2 in 2014.

"Everything is on the table for consideration by me and Gov. Cuomo, but we haven't made any decisions yet," Christie said Monday at an event in Burlington City. "Neither one of us are wallflowers."

The governor said he would not disclose his views while discussions continue, hoping to avoid sabotaging an opportunity for bipartisan agreement with his Democratic counterpart to the north.

"I'm not tipping my hand any time soon," Christie said.

Christie and Cuomo released a joint statement Friday saying they shared concerns about how the proposal would affect residents and businesses. Cuomo has not made any other public statement on the proposal.

The Port Authority will vote Aug. 19 on the proposal. If it is approved, Christie and Cuomo will have until Sept. 1 to decide whether to veto it.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) denounced the proposal Monday and called for a full audit of the Port Authority's revenues, costs, efficiencies, and fee structure.

"It seems to me, at a time when states and the federal government are being asked to not only control spending but cut back on it, that the Port Authority has become a behemoth that seems to be insatiable," Menendez told the Associated Press.

Hundreds of infrastructure projects are at risk if the fare increase is not approved, according to the Port Authority. Among them are rebuilding the World Trade Center station and raising the bridge between Bayonne, N.J., and Staten Island, N.Y. Revenues are $2.6 billion below what the authority projected, due to the economic downturn and higher security costs since Sept. 11.

With thousands of jobs on the line, support for the toll increases has poured in from the labor community. NJ Carpenters, the New Jersey Building Laborers District Council, and the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association have all announced their endorsement.

"By now, we should understand that we can't have something for nothing," Chip Hallock, chief executive of the Newark Regional Business Partnership, said in a statement. "These projects must be completed and must be paid for. Toll and fare increases are the only way to do it."