Economy

Episode 2 includes segments on the Gateway Project, "Cinderella Man" James Braddock, and a News 12 feature on Local 825 and the New Jersey Training Center.

"The quiet hero in this story is infrastructure. LEGOLAND NY could not exist and could not thrive unless adjacent roads were updated to accommodate the influx of up to 2,000,000 visitors a year."

New Jersey will elect a new governor in 2025. They will need to address the state of the state’s infrastructure, balancing competing interests and budgets. Here are five questions that could spark some meaningful discussions with gubernatorial candidates about New Jersey's infrastructure, transportation, water, and energy.

The Portal North Bridge Project is one of New Jersey’s most important transportation projects, replacing the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey. The existing bridge is a major bottleneck and source of delays to both NJ Transit and Amtrak due to its aging mechanical and electrical components.

Growth, Jobs, and Energy The data center industry is a massive and rapidly growing sector, valued at over $95 billion in 2023 in the U.S....

"Last week's 20-inch water main break was one of the largest in the township, initially impacting 20,000 residents in the southern section of the municipality."

"Mantoloking, one of the hardest-hit shore communities during Superstorm Sandy, will get 392,000 cubic yards in the spring, while neighboring Brick will get 227,000 cubic yards in early summer."

Analysis of federal spending on NJ infrastructure projects

"The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration said it is investigating nearly $1.5 billion for 19 projects along the Northeast Corridor, including nearly $291 million for five projects in Connecticut through the bipartisan infrastructure law."

NJ Transit has advanced the construction of a new vertical lift rail bridge. This new bridge, which will provide a two-track movable span across the Raritan River, will be positioned slightly off the original alignment between Perth Amboy and South Amboy.

"Amtrak has announced it has completed an early construction milestone for the Susquehanna River Bridge Project.According to Amtrak, construction workers removed the final remnant...

"While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and supporters argue that it will improve traffic flow and generate revenue for public transportation, New Jersey officials and residents have raised economic and environmental concerns."

"Over half of North America is at risk of energy shortfalls in the next 10 years amid surging electricity demand and thermal plant retirements, according to a new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corp."

A lot goes on behind the scenes for the morning and evening commutes.

"Multiple questions remain about the exact cause of the explosion and the accountability of those involved. Who was operating the machinery that struck the gas line? What kind of training and experience did they have? How could this accident have been avoided?"

"The full bridge [closure] will take place from Jan. 13 to about Jan. 27. The shutdown is needed so work crews can permanently repair a deteriorated structural connection that was discovered this summer in the bridge’s second span from the Pennsylvania side."