Phil Murphy's pick for transportation commissioner has strong NJ roots

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy introduced his choice for the state's next transportation commissioner Wednesday, and though has recently run a Florida transportation agency, she has strong ties to New Jersey.

Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti has spent six years as the executive director and CEO of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. Before that, she worked at the NJ Turnpike Authority for 21 years, ultimately serving as its deputy executive director and executive director.

"We need your knowledge and vision and experience more than ever before," Murphy said Wednesday at NJ Transit's Secaucus Junction station. "We are in crisis mode."

Gutierrez-Scaccetti was born in Newark, raised in Lawrence Township and attended Rutgers.

"I can't thank you enough for bringing me home," she told Murphy.

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Gutierrez-Scaccetti returns to her home state at a challenging time for transportation.

The Transportation Trust Fund was nearly broke before lawmakers raised the state's gasoline tax last year. And she'll have to repair employee morale, infrastructure and rolling stock at NJ Transit at a time when new sources of funding are scarce.

One option would be to raise fares, but that move risks angering riders already frustrated with canceled trains and poor service.

"This is a tough time to go to people in New Jersey to ask them to pay higher user fees," said Emil Frankel, who served as Connecticut's transportation commissioner from 1991 to 1995 and is now a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation in Washington.

Many states have had to come up with their own transportation funding sources to get big projects done. Even before Donald Trump became president, federal dollars had become scarce.

It's not clear how New Jersey will benefit from Trump's infrastructure plans, which could be unveiled early next year.It's expected that Trump's infrastructure package will place heavy emphasis on public-private partnerships and loan guarantees, and less on direct government investment.

"They’re going to have to do more to get more," Frankel said.

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On Wednesday, Gutierrez-Scaccetti acknowledged the difficult road ahead of her.

"It is not going to be easy," she said. "It is not going to be simple."

Patrick Jones, executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, called Gutierrez-Scaccetti "a great choice." 

Jones said she has good organizational skills, and noted that she oversaw the successful consolidation of the NJ Turnpike Authority and the NJ Highway Authority.

"You won’t meet a person who’s more dedicated to the transportation industry," Jones said. "She puts her heart and soul into everything she does."