The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey's proposed toll increases -- $4 this year, another $2 in 2014, plus an extra $3 for cash-paying drivers at the Hudson River bridges and tunnels -- got a chilly reception, though not universal condemnation.
Gov. Chris Christie said he asked port officials if they were kidding when they told him the size of the increase. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, called the plan a nonstarter.
Among influential interest groups, the response has varied from support from labor unions with lots of unemployed members who would benefit from the resulting construction projects, to a guarded support from business groups for ... well, for something to be done.
Decide for yourself where business groups are on the issue.
Here's what the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce said yesterday, in what it described as a unanimous statement from the chamber's leadership and Thomas Bracken, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce president and CEO:
"The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce supports a strong modern transportation infrastructure. Our Transportation Initiative, part of the Chamber's Platform for Progress, has worked to, as our web site has stated since 2004, ensure that the transportation infrastructure of New Jersey continues to be a major contributor to a healthy economy through sufficient funding of critical projects and maintenance activities.
"We appreciate that the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey is responsible for a wide variety of projects - including building and maintaining our ports, bridges, tunnels and roads and providing security for them all, while also rebuilding the World Trade Center site in New York City. Furthermore, the New Jersey Chamber feels it is vital to raise the Bayonne Bridge. We support much-needed upgrades to the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel as well.
"We applaud the leadership of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in their efforts and we look to the leadership in Trenton, Albany and at the Port Authority to agree on a plan that keeps our infrastructure strong, and our commuters, goods and economy moving."
And here's today's statement from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association's president, Philip Kirschner:
“The activities of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which support thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs, are essential to the health of New Jersey’s economy. The effective operation of the port authority is critical to the state’s import-export industry, its shipping industry and transportation in general.
“As a corridor state, New Jersey must maintain the ability to transport good and services easily, effectively and affordably. NJBIA therefore supports reasonable efforts by the port authority to maintain and expand its transportation infrastructure in order to support businesses and create jobs in the Garden State.”