New Jersey Senators Push P3 Expansion

071311-5499-heights-x2.jpg

Two Democrats in the New Jersey Senate want to expand the use of public-private partnerships throughout the Garden State.

Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Jim Whelan, D-Northfield, released a video press release on Nov. 27 saying they are exploring ways of utilizing P3s statewide as part of a "New Jersey Investing in You" initiative. The state has used P3s recently largely for improvements at higher education institutions including The College of New Jersey, Montclair State and Rutgers University.

"We really need to be moving toward P3s for everything in the state, infrastructure, roads, highways, bridges, utilities," said Sweeney in the video release. "This is the way to get things moving."

The New Jersey legislature approved a bill last year seeking to expand the Higher Education Institutions Public-Private Partnership Program overseen by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to local governments and transportation projects. The P3 legislation is stalled after Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed the bill requesting changes including recommending the removal of provisions imposing prevailing wage requirements and mandating project labor agreements.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
New Jersey
MORE FROM BOND BUYER