**MEDIA ADVISORY: Assembly Transportation Committee to Hold Special Hearing on Plans to Close Pulaski Skyway for Two Years

(TRENTON) - The Assembly Transportation Committee will hold a special hearing next Thursday in Hudson County to discuss the state Department of Transportation's (DOT) plans to close the northbound lanes of the Pulaski Skyway for two years beginning in 2014 while the roadway is reconstructed.

The hearing will take place on Thursday, February 28, at 9:30 a.m. at Hudson County Community College, North Hudson Higher Education Center, 4800 Kennedy Boulevard, Union City, New Jersey.

"We're dealing with one of the most heavily-populated areas of one of the most heavily-populated states in the country," said Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). "No matter how much advance planning time commuters have, this closure will still have a significant impact on their daily lives for quite a substantial amount of time and we need to have a clear picture of what that impact will be."

The committee has invited the DOT Commissioner and other experts on transportation matters in the state to testify regarding the repair and rehabilitation of the Pulaski Skyway and other issues concerning the DOT. The committee will also hear testimony from members of the public wishing to testify on the issue.

"For commuters in my district and the surrounding areas, this will undoubtedly create major headaches," said Assembly Transportation Committee member Ruben J. Ramos, Jr. (D-Hudson). "It's imperative that the state lay out a clear plan for alternate options for commuters and what impact this will have on those alternate routes as well."

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