Assembly Democrats Joseph Cryan and Annette Quijano on Thursday applauded the decision by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to begin construction of the much needed “link” between Route 278 and Routes 1 & 9 near the Goethals Bridge.

The lawmakers noted that a lack of ramps linking the roadway and bridge has contributed to traffic congestion, especially in Elizabeth and Linden. With the construction of new intersections, it is estimated that 1,500 vehicles will be removed from local neighborhoods.

“This is great news for the local community confronted with excessive traffic resulting from cars and trucks trying to get from one to the other through their neighborhoods,” said Cryan. “Moving forward with this project will help minimize the effects of traffic congestion – delays, long emergency response times, and increases in fuel consumption and pollution. This will bring relief to commuters and residents.”

“Possible solutions have been discussed for the past two decades, which has left commuters and the local community anxiously waiting,” said Quijano. “This project will improve transportation infrastructure and alleviate a lingering problem for the past 20 years, ultimately improving quality of life.”

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey yesterday authorized spending $130 million on the project to begin next year and projected to be completed by 2019. Both Cryan and Quijano thanked Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage for his tireless advocacy on this project. [TLS]