“Our Infrastructure Matters” is a news program highlighting important infrastructure projects and issues throughout the region. From roads and bridges to rails and tunnels. From the energy and communications grids to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater.
Episode 9 includes the following segments:
The Delaware and Raritan Canal – 1:00
Delivering Clean Water – 8:00
The Truth in Your Electric Bill – 14:26
Training for Operating Engineers – 20:40
Method to the Madness: Roads in NJ – 23:20
See the schedule on News 12 +
http://news12.plus/new-jersey/
Additional Episodes:
https://tristateinfrastructurenews.com/infrastructure-matters/
Transcript:
Chapter 1: The Delaware and Raritan Canal
1:00
1 minuteWhen we think about New Jersey infrastructure, we usually picture highways, rail lines, ports and pipelines.
1:07
1 minute, 7 secondsBut long before route one or the Northeast Corridor Railroad, there was another transportation spine running quietly through the heart of the state.
1:15
1 minute, 15 secondsIt was hand dug. It reshaped cities, and it still matters today. This is the story of the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
1:25
1 minute, 25 secondsThe idea of cutting a canal across new Jersey is older than the United States itself.
1:30
1 minute, 30 secondsIn 1676, William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, proposed creating a water route across what he called the narrow waist of new Jersey.
1:40
1 minute, 40 secondsHis goal was ambitious a protected inland passage connecting Philadelphia to New York Harbor, avoiding the dangerous Atlantic route.
1:48
1 minute, 48 secondsPenn even ordered a survey to see if it was possible to cut away across the country to Sandy Hook.
1:55
1 minute, 55 secondsNo record survives that the survey ever happened, but the idea never disappeared.
2:00
2 minutesFor the next hundred years, the concept slipped quietly while colonies grew, fought a revolution, and became a nation.
2:08
2 minutes, 8 secondsBut by the early 1800s, America turned its attention to internal improvements, and new Jersey found itself at the center of everything.
2:17
2 minutes, 17 secondsBy the 1820s, enthusiasm for a canal linking New York and Philadelphia reached a fever pitch.
2:24
2 minutes, 24 secondsBut there was a problem. Railroads. New Jersey lawmakers were split between canal supporters and railroad advocates.
2:32
2 minutes, 32 secondsEach side was powerful, and each side blocked the other. The stalemate ended in 1830 with a uniquely new Jersey compromise.
2:41
2 minutes, 41 secondsThe legislature chartered both and then merged them, creating a canal rail partnership known as the Joint Companies.
2:49
2 minutes, 49 secondsThe Delaware and Raritan Canal Company and the Camden and Amboy Railroad. Construction on both began the same year.
2:57
2 minutes, 57 secondsBy 1833, the railroad was running from Bordentown to South Amboy.
3:02
3 minutes, 2 secondsParts of the canal opened at the same time, but the full canal wouldn’t be completed until 1834.
3:09
3 minutes, 9 secondsOn June 25th, 1834, the canal officially opened.
3:14
3 minutes, 14 secondsGovernor Peter Dumont’s room boarded a ceremonial barge for a two day journey across the state. At every lock and bridge, crowds cheered.
3:23
3 minutes, 23 secondsIn New Brunswick, he was greeted with a 24 gun salute and a brass band parade through the city.
3:30
3 minutes, 30 secondsThe canal itself formed a giant meandering “Y” across new Jersey, 44 miles from Bordentown to New Brunswick, a 22 mile feeder canal from Raven Rock to Trenton.
3:42
3 minutes, 42 secondsThe engineering was remarkably sophisticated. The feeder canal was six feet deep and 50ft wide. The main canal was seven feet deep.
3:51
3 minutes, 51 secondsLater expanded to eight and 75ft wide. Seven locks lifted boats up to Trenton.
3:57
3 minutes, 57 secondsSeven more brought them back down to sea level at the Raritan River. Stone riprap lined the banks to prevent erosion.
4:05
4 minutes, 5 secondsSwing bridges pivoted sideways so vessels of any mast height could pass.
4:10
4 minutes, 10 secondsBy 1868, even the locks were powered by steam, and once built, the canal barely needed modification for the next century.
4:20
4 minutes, 20 secondsBut this achievement came at a price. Most of the canal was dug by hand by Irish immigrant laborers.
4:27
4 minutes, 27 secondsIn 1832, cholera swept through the work camps. Dozens, possibly hundreds, died.
4:34
4 minutes, 34 secondsThey were buried in unmarked mass graves at Bull’s Island, Ten Mile Run and Griggstown.
4:41
4 minutes, 41 secondsIn 2003, a granite monument cut from a former canal lock was dedicated to their memory.
4:48
4 minutes, 48 secondsIt stands today as a reminder that infrastructure is built not just with money and materials, but with human lives.
4:57
4 minutes, 57 secondsA canal journey from Bordentown to New Brunswick took nearly two days, but that was revolutionary.
5:03
5 minutes, 3 secondsBefore the canal, shipping goods from Philadelphia to New York by sea could take two weeks. The canal transformed cities at its ends.
5:12
5 minutes, 12 secondsTrenton’s population quadrupled. Ironworks, ceramic factories and manufacturers surged in.
5:20
5 minutes, 20 secondsBut the canal’s greatest beneficiaries were New York and Pennsylvania.
5:24
5 minutes, 24 secondsPennsylvania anthracite coal destined for New York’s furnaces and homes became the canal’s lifeblood.
5:32
5 minutes, 32 secondsAt its peak in 1871, nearly 3 million tons of freight passed through the canal, more than the Erie Canal carried That same year.
5:41
5 minutes, 41 secondsAnd it wasn’t just canal boats, sailboats, steam tugs, yachts, and even naval vessels passed through this narrow waterway.
5:50
5 minutes, 50 secondsIronically, the canal’s decline began with its own partner in 1871.
5:55
5 minutes, 55 secondsThe Pennsylvania Railroad leased the canal and its rail connection for 999 years.
6:02
6 minutes, 2 secondsFrom that moment on, canal traffic steadily fell. Railroads were faster. They ran day and night.
6:09
6 minutes, 9 secondsThey didn’t freeze in the winter. By 1893, the canal was operating at a loss and never recovered.
6:17
6 minutes, 17 secondsSome historians believe the railroad intentionally starved the canal of maintenance while favoring rail shipments with lower rates.
6:25
6 minutes, 25 secondsIn 1933, the canal closed for the winter. It never reopened. Four years later, ownership reverted to the state of new Jersey.
6:35
6 minutes, 35 secondsYet the canal wasn’t finished. As industry spread out in the 1930s and 40s. They needed water and the canal could provide it cheaper than wells.
6:46
6 minutes, 46 secondsSo the canal reinvented itself, not as a transportation corridor, but as a water supply system.
6:52
6 minutes, 52 secondsParts were filled in, including a section in Trenton that became route one.
6:57
6 minutes, 57 secondsOther sections were modernized with concrete structures, steel gates, and improved flow systems.
7:03
7 minutes, 3 secondsIn 1973, the canal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
7:09
7 minutes, 9 secondsOne year later, Citizen Advocacy helped create the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.
7:16
7 minutes, 16 secondsToday, more than a million people visit the canal each year.
7:20
7 minutes, 20 secondsIt’s a recreational corridor, a conservation link, a historic landmark, and it still supplies water to industry.
7:28
7 minutes, 28 secondsAgriculture and drinking water systems serving nearly 1 million new Jersey residents.
7:34
7 minutes, 34 secondsThis canal helped build city’s power industry and shaped the economy of an entire region.
7:41
7 minutes, 41 secondsThe Delaware and Raritan Canal reminds us that infrastructure doesn’t disappear when its original purpose ends.
7:48
7 minutes, 48 secondsWhen we preserve it, adapt it, and understand its history. It continues to serve us in ways its builders could never have imagined.
7:56
7 minutes, 56 secondsAnd that’s why our infrastructure matters. Clean water delivered straight to your home.
Chapter 2: Delivering Clean Water
8:04
8 minutes, 4 secondsIt’s something most people take for granted.
8:07
8 minutes, 7 secondsBut in new Jersey, aging, drinking water infrastructure is leaking, crumbling and in urgent need of repair.
8:14
8 minutes, 14 secondsIn some cities, like Newark. Up to 40% of the water is lost before it even reaches the tap.
8:21
8 minutes, 21 secondsAnd New Jersey’s drinking water travels through a complex network stored in dams and reservoirs, filtered through treatment plants and delivered through a labyrinth of underground pipes, many of them over a century old.
8:36
8 minutes, 36 secondsThis system serves over 9 million residents. But it wasn’t built to last forever.
8:42
8 minutes, 42 secondsIn Newark alone, 40% of the city’s drinking water is lost to leaks.
8:47
8 minutes, 47 secondsStatewide, the number is over 130 million gallons per day, enough to supply entire towns.
8:55
8 minutes, 55 secondsLead pipes still buried beneath thousands of homes pose a health risk to children and families.
9:02
9 minutes, 2 secondsOld valves and undersized mains can’t meet today’s demands or tomorrow’s emergencies.
9:09
9 minutes, 9 secondsNew Jersey also relies on more than 1600 dams to hold drinking water in reservoirs.
9:16
9 minutes, 16 secondsMany were built in the 1950s and 60s, and dozens are now considered high hazard, meaning failure would endanger lives downstream.
9:25
9 minutes, 25 secondsLike water mains.
9:27
9 minutes, 27 secondsOur dam infrastructure needs modernization before small issues become disasters. Rebuilding drinking water systems is no easy job.
9:37
9 minutes, 37 secondsOperating engineers are the men and women trained to do it.
9:41
9 minutes, 41 secondsOperating heavy machinery, laying new mains and repairing dams with pinpoint precision.
9:48
9 minutes, 48 secondsThey complete thousands of hours of training to keep water clean, safe and flowing. Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law.
9:56
9 minutes, 56 secondsOver $1 billion is coming to new Jersey for water system upgrades.
10:01
10 minutes, 1 secondThat means safer drinking water, stronger dams, and thousands of union jobs. But we can’t stop now.
10:09
10 minutes, 9 secondsThe future of clean water depends on steady investment and skilled workers ready to build it. What goes down the drain doesn’t just disappear.
10:19
10 minutes, 19 secondsNew Jersey’s wastewater systems are aging, overloaded, and in many places, dangerously outdated.
10:26
10 minutes, 26 secondsWastewater systems carry used water from homes and businesses to treatment plants where it’s cleaned and returned to the environment.
10:34
10 minutes, 34 secondsBut much of this system is over 75 years old, cracked, leaking and undersized.
10:41
10 minutes, 41 secondsIn older cities, stormwater and sewage share the same pipes. When it rains too much, the system overflows.
10:48
10 minutes, 48 secondsDumping raw sewage directly into rivers and streets.
10:52
10 minutes, 52 secondsThese combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, are a public health hazard, and they’re illegal under federal law.
11:01
11 minutes, 1 secondNew Jersey’s 200 plus wastewater treatment plants process billions of gallons of used water each week.
11:08
11 minutes, 8 secondsBut many plants were built decades ago and struggled to meet stricter environmental standards.
11:14
11 minutes, 14 secondsOperating engineers dig deep to install new sewer lines, operate dewatering pumps, and build the pump stations that keep everything moving.
11:23
11 minutes, 23 secondsTheir expertise is critical to protecting homes, rivers and water quality. Thanks to new infrastructure funding.
11:31
11 minutes, 31 secondsNew Jersey is tackling CSO hotspots and modernizing wastewater plants.
11:37
11 minutes, 37 secondsThese upgrades protect health, improve the environment and create family sustaining union jobs that can’t be outsourced.
11:46
11 minutes, 46 secondsStorms are growing stronger and flooding is becoming the new normal. New Jersey’s stormwater systems are outdated and overwhelmed.
11:55
11 minutes, 55 secondsStormwater systems are designed to capture rain and melting snow, then direct it safely into streams, rivers or treatment facilities.
12:04
12 minutes, 4 secondsBut most of New Jersey’s storm drains were built decades ago without climate change in mind.
12:11
12 minutes, 11 secondsExtreme storms now drop more water in less time, flooding homes, closing roads and threatening lives.
12:19
12 minutes, 19 secondsHard surfaces like roads and roofs make it worse. Preventing water from soaking into the ground.
12:26
12 minutes, 26 secondsFixing stormwater means blending traditional gray infrastructure with modern green techniques.
12:33
12 minutes, 33 secondsGreen solutions like rain gardens and bio swales soak up rain naturally, reducing the load on pipes and sewers.
12:41
12 minutes, 41 secondsTogether, they make neighborhoods more flood resistant. From digging retention basins to laying massive underground culverts.
12:50
12 minutes, 50 secondsOperating engineers make resilience projects real.
12:53
12 minutes, 53 secondsTheir skill and machinery help protect communities from flooding before the next storm hits.
13:00
13 minutesFlooding won’t stop, but we can build smarter with green infrastructure, smart investment and skilled union labor.
13:08
13 minutes, 8 secondsNew Jersey can lead the way in flood resilience and build a safer, drier, more secure future.
13:16
13 minutes, 16 secondsWhen union labor and contractors come together for one common goal, anything can be accomplished.
13:23
13 minutes, 23 secondsEven the engineers labor employer co-operative.
13:26
13 minutes, 26 secondsWe are the labor management fund for the International Union of Operating Engineers, local 825 from Kingston to Cape May and from river to river.
13:36
13 minutes, 36 secondsWe’re creating the opportunities that spawn real economic development and building the future.
13:42
13 minutes, 42 secondsAs members of the business community and chambers of commerce, we create the partnerships needed to collaborate. Success.
13:49
13 minutes, 49 secondsAs advocates, we shape the public policy and local town halls and statehouses that protect our members and generate possibilities.
13:58
13 minutes, 58 secondsWe eliminate entry barriers that ensures our members are ready on day one for whatever work our contractors require.
14:06
14 minutes, 6 secondsAnd as industry innovators, we develop grant programs to help our contractors compete in underrepresented market sectors.
14:14
14 minutes, 14 secondsThis is what the 21st century organized labor looks like. This is ELEC.
14:19
14 minutes, 19 secondsbuilding the infrastructure New York and Jersey relies on.
Chapter 3: The Truth in Your Electric Bill
14:26
14 minutes, 26 secondsLet’s dig into a question a lot of new Jersey families are asking. Why is my electric bill so high when I haven’t even used more power?
14:35
14 minutes, 35 secondsThe truth is, your bill isn’t just one number. It’s really five bills rolled into one. Ever wonder what the supply charges on your new Jersey energy bill really mean?
14:45
14 minutes, 45 secondsThat’s the part of your bill that covers the actual cost of producing the electricity you use. The generation itself, your utility doesn’t set those prices.
14:55
14 minutes, 55 secondsThey’re based on market rates for power from different sources like natural gas, nuclear and renewables.
15:01
15 minutes, 1 secondWhen fuel prices rise or state policies change, supply charges can climb even if your usage stays the same.
15:09
15 minutes, 9 secondsSo next time you look at your bill, remember supply is what it costs to make the power not deliver it.
15:16
15 minutes, 16 secondsWhen you see delivery charges on your new Jersey energy bill, that’s not the cost of making electricity. It’s the cost of getting that power safely to your home or business.
15:26
15 minutes, 26 secondsDelivery charges cover the poles, wires, maintenance, customer service, and emergency response that keep the system running 24 over seven in every kind of weather.
15:36
15 minutes, 36 secondsThese rates are regulated by the state, meaning your utility can’t raise them without approval from the state via the new Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
15:45
15 minutes, 45 secondsSo while supply is what it costs to make electricity, delivery is what it takes to keep it flowing reliably to you and your home.
15:53
15 minutes, 53 secondsPublic policy charges are the state mandated programs built into your energy bill.
15:59
15 minutes, 59 secondsThey fund a clean energy, energy efficiency, and assistance programs for low income families.
16:05
16 minutes, 5 secondsThey fund environmental initiatives that support New Jersey’s long term energy goals. These aren’t utility profits.
16:12
16 minutes, 12 secondsThey’re public programs required by state law and approved by regulators, and consumers are responsible for paying them. Taxes and fees on your New Jersey energy bill are state and local charges collected to fund government services.
16:27
16 minutes, 27 secondsThey’re separate from supply and delivery, but a part of your bill that helps fund state efforts. So let’s ask why are all of these pieces climbing at once?
16:37
16 minutes, 37 secondsStarting in 2016, new Jersey started importing electricity from the PJM grid after a series of power plant retirements.
16:45
16 minutes, 45 secondsThe state has become even more dependent upon importing electricity from other states.
16:50
16 minutes, 50 secondsThe state hoped offshore wind would increase in-state electricity, but in 2023, Orsted pulled out of what was to be the state’s first offshore wind farm.
17:00
17 minutesBlaming post-Covid supply chain problems and inflation today, new Jersey still has no credible plan for baseload power to meet
17:08
17 minutes, 8 secondsgrowing demand, and the added usage from building electrification, EVs and AI. Instead, Trenton is betting heavily on intermittent wind and solar.
17:18
17 minutes, 18 secondsThe problem is when the sun sets or the wind stalls, the grid still needs power. And right now, that means scrambling for imports and other expensive means.
17:29
17 minutes, 29 secondsThat’s why bills keep spiking. Bottom line these alternative energy sources are unproven and unreliable.
17:36
17 minutes, 36 secondsSo when we are short on supply, we pay more.
17:39
17 minutes, 39 secondsUltimately, the solution to New Jersey’s electricity shortage is building additional baseload generating capacity from sources like natural gas and nuclear.
17:49
17 minutes, 49 secondsWhen the world goes dark, nuclear power keeps the lights on.
17:53
17 minutes, 53 secondsDay or night, rain or shine, it delivers steady, reliable energy when consumers need it most. While other sources depend on the weather.
18:02
18 minutes, 2 secondsNuclear energy runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, quietly powering homes, hospitals and entire communities.
18:11
18 minutes, 11 secondsAnd it does it without the carbon emissions. That’s because nuclear power is the energy that never sleeps. Reliable, clean and always on.
18:20
18 minutes, 20 secondsAs new Jersey plans for a stable energy future. Natural gas is emerging as a key part of the solution.
18:27
18 minutes, 27 secondsAbundant and widely available, natural gas provides reliable baseload power, keeping electricity flowing day and night, even when solar and wind aren’t producing.
18:38
18 minutes, 38 secondsBy using natural gas strategically, new Jersey can help stabilize energy prices, protecting families and businesses from spikes while we transition to cleaner sources.
18:48
18 minutes, 48 secondsNatural gas as part of a balanced, modern energy mix helps ensure a secure, affordable and reliable electricity future for everyone in the Garden State.
18:59
18 minutes, 59 secondsNuclear energy provides clean, steady power 24 over seven while natural gas is abundant and flexible, able to meet demand even when renewable sources like wind and solar fluctuate.
19:11
19 minutes, 11 secondsTogether, they form a foundation for a stable, affordable energy supply.
19:16
19 minutes, 16 secondsPolicymakers should focus on policies that encourage investment in these reliable sources, streamline regulatory approvals, and support infrastructure upgrades.
19:25
19 minutes, 25 secondsAll steps that help control costs for families and businesses. This isn’t just about energy. It’s an affordability crisis.
19:33
19 minutes, 33 secondsEnergy costs drive everything. If power is unaffordable, the state’s affordability crisis gets worse. When policy is done right.
19:42
19 minutes, 42 secondsWe see reliable, clean energy at predictable prices. Investment in innovation and reduced carbon emissions. Home stay warm in winter.
19:51
19 minutes, 51 secondsBusinesses stay productive and communities thrive. But when policy goes wrong, the consequences hit hard.
19:59
19 minutes, 59 secondsUnstable markets, skyrocketing prices and energy shortages can ripple through households and businesses alike.
20:06
20 minutes, 6 secondsThe burden falls heaviest on families already struggling to make ends meet.
20:11
20 minutes, 11 secondsAffordability becomes a real challenge for planning can turn essential energy into a costly, unpredictable expense, impacting everything from schools to hospitals.
20:22
20 minutes, 22 secondsGetting energy policy right is about more than kilowatts. It’s about security, fairness and a sustainable future we can rely on.
20:31
20 minutes, 31 secondsUntil new Jersey builds around nuclear and natural gas. Bills will keep climbing. Baseload first. Everything else. Second.
Chapter 4: Training for Operating Engineers
20:42
20 minutes, 42 secondsBulldozers, excavators and cranes.
20:45
20 minutes, 45 secondsHeavy machinery covers the lot of the operating engineers training center, local 825, in Dayton, new Jersey.
20:53
20 minutes, 53 secondsIt’s where 7800 union members across new Jersey and Lower New York train before building local infrastructure.
21:01
21 minutes, 1 secondWe have everything, almost soup to nuts that you would see in the construction industry. We teach everything here.
21:07
21 minutes, 7 secondsGreg Lullaby, a second generation crane operator, now oversees the training center’s operations.
21:13
21 minutes, 13 secondsWe invest in training every year because what we do is so, so critical. Before operating heavy equipment, pull it back to you.
21:20
21 minutes, 20 secondsNice and easy. The trainees start here. We start them out at certain, like basic skills.
21:26
21 minutes, 26 secondsIt looks like a gaming arcade using state of the art virtual reality simulators. Training is key.
21:33
21 minutes, 33 secondsDifferent weather, different lighting. Snow. When training at the center is free to a limited number of students chosen.
21:42
21 minutes, 42 secondsIt’s competitive too. Costs are covered by a union members fund. We have about 170 students now and then we retrain.
21:51
21 minutes, 51 secondsA big component of what we do is taking somebody like myself, who may have been around 40 years, but the technology changed.
21:58
21 minutes, 58 secondsAll students, both men and women, have to undergo OSHA safety training and get familiar with the heavy equipment.
22:05
22 minutes, 5 secondsThey told me practicing on the simulator gives them the confidence they need on the heavy hitters. These future operators are in high demand, with major construction ramping up.
22:16
22 minutes, 16 secondsLocal 825 is bridging tradition and technology for a brighter future. Roxann Evans, news 12.
Chapter 5: Method to the Madness: Roads in NJ
23:20
23 minutes, 20 secondsWhether you’re crawling through traffic on the turnpike, breezing through a roundabout, or dodging orange cones during a midnight paving project, new Jersey roads are anything but boring.
23:32
23 minutes, 32 secondsBut there’s a method to the madness. In this video, we’ll break down how our roads got here. Who builds them and why?
23:38
23 minutes, 38 secondsCertain intersections get roundabouts while others get lights. And why so much of it happens at night.
23:45
23 minutes, 45 secondsAfter World War Two, new Jersey was growing and fast. The traffic surge demanded new solutions.
23:52
23 minutes, 52 secondsSo in 1951, the state opened the new Jersey Turnpike, a straight shots, limited access toll road that spanned the state.
24:01
24 minutes, 1 secondIt quickly became a vital artery for goods, commuters and cross-country travelers.
24:06
24 minutes, 6 secondsHot on its heels was the Garden State Parkway, built to serve not just workers but beach bound vacationers, scenic, tree lined and more suburban.
24:16
24 minutes, 16 secondsIt was designed for a different kind of travel experience.
24:20
24 minutes, 20 secondsTogether, these two roads transformed new Jersey into a commuter state and reshaped development around them.
24:28
24 minutes, 28 secondsIn 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, launching the Interstate Highway System.
24:36
24 minutes, 36 secondsNew Jersey became a crucial highway I-95, I-80, I-78, I, two, 87, and more connected the state to New York, Philadelphia, and beyond.
24:48
24 minutes, 48 secondsThey made new Jersey one of the most heavily trafficked and densely paved states in the U.S.. Traffic lights are everywhere in new Jersey.
24:57
24 minutes, 57 secondsOver 6000 signalized intersections control our busiest roads.
25:02
25 minutes, 2 secondsThey help manage turning movements, pedestrian crossings, and high volumes of vehicles. They’re customizable and programable, but they’re not always efficient.
25:12
25 minutes, 12 secondsLong red lights caused delays, and when drivers lose patience, crash risks go up, especially with left turns and red light running.
25:21
25 minutes, 21 secondsThat’s why newer, safer alternatives are growing in popularity. Enter the modern roundabout, a circular intersection where traffic keeps moving.
25:32
25 minutes, 32 secondsVehicles yield as they enter and travel counterclockwise.
25:36
25 minutes, 36 secondsUnlike older traffic circles, modern roundabouts are designed for low speeds and high safety.
25:42
25 minutes, 42 secondsRoundabouts reduce injury crashes by up to 80%.
25:46
25 minutes, 46 secondsThey also improve traffic flow, eliminate the need for electricity, and are less costly to maintain over time.
25:53
25 minutes, 53 secondsNew Jersey has been quietly adding them to suburban and even rural areas. A road diets might sound like cutting back, but it’s actually about redesign.
26:04
26 minutes, 4 secondsA typical road diet reduces a four lane road to two travel lanes, adds a center turn lane, and introduces bike or pedestrian features.
26:13
26 minutes, 13 secondsIt works best where traffic volumes don’t justify four lanes and where speeding or crashes are a concern.
26:20
26 minutes, 20 secondsCities like Montclair, Hoboken and Asbury Park have adopted road diets to make streets calmer and more usable for everyone, not just drivers.
26:31
26 minutes, 31 secondsWhile the road designs may come from traffic engineers, the hard work of building and maintaining them falls to people on the ground, especially operating engineers.
26:41
26 minutes, 41 secondsThese skilled union workers operate the machinery that lays asphalt, digs trenches and builds the physical infrastructure we drive on.
26:50
26 minutes, 50 secondsIt’s complex work.
26:52
26 minutes, 52 secondsThe most densely populated state in the country has a century and more of underground water, sewer
26:58
26 minutes, 58 secondsand natural gas pipelines to deal with, along with buried electrical cables and myriad environmental and land use regulations to deal with.
27:07
27 minutes, 7 secondsA simple error can delay a project by months.
27:11
27 minutes, 11 secondsRoad paving is often done in the summer, when warm temperatures help asphalt bind properly.
27:16
27 minutes, 16 secondsCold weather can crack or crumble pavement quickly, and it often happens at night to reduce traffic disruptions and improve worker safety.
27:26
27 minutes, 26 secondsNight paving reduces the impact on commuters, businesses, and emergency services. But it’s also about safety for workers and for drivers.
27:36
27 minutes, 36 secondsLower traffic volumes at night mean fewer close calls. Crews can close more lanes, work faster and reduce their risk.
27:45
27 minutes, 45 secondsWorking at night requires additional generators to power large lighting systems and additional safety precautions to keep work crews and travelers safe.
27:54
27 minutes, 54 secondsStill, it’s dangerous work.
27:56
27 minutes, 56 secondsCrews wear reflective gear, use flaggers and cones, and operate under strict safety protocols.
28:03
28 minutes, 3 secondsIn 2023 alone, over 800 work zone crashes were reported in new Jersey.
28:09
28 minutes, 9 secondsSlowing down in work zones isn’t just a courtesy, It saves lives. So why does one town get a roundabout and another a traffic signal?
28:19
28 minutes, 19 secondsIt comes down to data engineers look at traffic counts, crash records, pedestrian usage and local input.
28:26
28 minutes, 26 secondsEvery solution is customized, and that’s part of what makes new Jersey unique. There’s no one size fits all.
28:34
28 minutes, 34 secondsUrban, suburban, coastal, and rural communities all have different needs. A smart road network adapts to serve all of them.
28:42
28 minutes, 42 secondsBut why are they always working on the roads?
28:45
28 minutes, 45 secondsAsphalt typically last 10 to 15 years before requiring resurfacing or repaving. The life span is shortened due to traffic volume.
28:55
28 minutes, 55 secondsWinter freeze and thaw cycles, and heavy truckloads. In other words, new Jersey. And just like a sore tooth.
29:02
29 minutes, 2 secondsPostponing or delaying maintenance only makes things more expensive and painful.
29:08
29 minutes, 8 secondsNew Jersey is investing in complete streets, smart traffic systems and multi-modal courts that support walking, biking, public transit and electric vehicles.
29:19
29 minutes, 19 secondsWith infrastructure funding and new technology. The state is rethinking what roads should look like in the 21st century.
29:26
29 minutes, 26 secondsSo next time you’re on the parkway, looping through a roundabout or waiting behind a paving crew, remember there’s planning history and hard work behind every inch of asphalt.
