Funding For Pulaski Skyway Repairs Becomes Center Of AAA Suit
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Lawyers warned five years ago that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's decision to take $1.8 billion from a bi-state agency to fix state roads might cause legal problems.
They turned out to be right.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's expenditure on the Pulaski Skyway repairs has become a central part of a lawsuit filed by AAA against the agency over 2011 toll hikes.
AAA first filed suit in 2011 to block five increases passed by the Port Authority. AAA lost its bid in November 2014 for a preliminary injunction to block the round of Port Authority toll hikes.
In 2014, Robert Sinclair, AAA New York spokesman said his group believes projects on the Pulaski Skyway, Wittpenn Bridge and Routes 1 and 9 should not be financed by commuter tolls.
On Thursday, lawyers for both sides will argue before a federal judge in New York.
But the Port Authority's spending on Pulaski repairs is also being challenged by an airline, probed by the Federal Aviation Administration and investigated by both the Securities Exchange Commission and the Manhattan district attorney.
The Port Authority has argued the expenditure was proper regardless of whether AAA agrees.
The Pulaski Skyway saw eight weeks of weekend closures in Spring 2015 as repairs were made to the roadway as part of the project. The state Transportation Department said the project will extend the life of the bridge by 75 years.
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