NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- The group Empower NJ organized a protest against the proposed expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike near the Newark Bay Bridge on Tuesday outside the public presentation about the project by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
"It is bad economically to spend $11 billion on a project you don't need. Then there's the opportunity cost because if we invest in public transportation, that will not only improve the lives of the people commuting, but that's what builds economic growth," attorney John Reichman with Empower NJ told PIX 11 News.
However, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority said the 67-year-old Newark Bay Bridge needs to be rebuilt and cannot continue to be repaired.
Phase one of the project would replace the Bridge with two new spans and replace 16 other bridges that make up the four-mile highway between Exit 14 in Newark and Exit 14A in Bayonne.
Some residents at Tuesday night's meeting expressed concern about losing their homes due to the expansion of the Turnpike from two lanes to four lanes in each direction.
Lisa Navarro, the supervising engineer with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, said no homes will be taken but did tell PIX 11 News the expansion will be "largely within our right of way, as much as we can. That's why we did a stage of construction. Maybe some small takings along a property line, but no residential displacements."
The project is still in the design phase. Construction on phase one is expected to begin in 2026. The Turnpike Authority aims to have the new Newark Bay Bridge open to traffic by 2031.
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