It should come as little surprise to anyone who has been dodging potholes on New Jersey's roads this spring that the state leads the nation in the amount of money motorists spend on repairs caused by poor roads.

New Jersey also has the third-highest percentage of roads in poor condition, according to a study released last week by the US Public Interest Group.

Repairs resulting from bad roads cost New Jersey drivers an average of $596 annually - while the national average is $335. One-third of New Jersey's major roadway lane miles are in poor condition, and more than 80 percent are rated as in "less than good" condition, the study said. And more than 1 in 10 of the state's bridges are deemed "structurally deficient."

With the state Transportation Trust Fund "about to drive off the Palisades," as Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, put it, state transportation officials need to come up with a plan to replenish it soon.

Gov. Chris Christie has insisted he will veto any legislation that would increase the gasoline tax. Great - as long as he can come up with a credible alternative.

Last week, state transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson said at a state Senate committee hearing that despite a proposed 4 percent reduction in his department's 2010-11 budget, road safety and maintenance projects will not be deferred. "We will make sure we adequately provide for safety and the state of good repair," he said. "We have a robust safety plan."

At a committee hearing a week earlier, Simpson echoed Christie's position that a gasoline tax and any additional toll increases, other than the increase already authorized to take effect in 2012, were off the table. He said the combination of monies freed up after costs savings are realized and other revenue opportunities being studied, such as selling naming rights to service areas and possibly having public-private partnerships run and improve them, could do the job.

We're skeptical about whether those steps will come anywhere close to generating the funding needed to address New Jersey's long-neglected roads.

The Legislature and Christie will have their hands full until the end of June trying to reach some sort of compromise on the 2010-11 state budget. Once that is behind them, they should move ahead quickly to come up with a realistic plan for replenishing the Transportation Trust Fund.

The Tri-State Campaign and other groups will be pushing hard for an increase in the gasoline tax. They will use last week's US PIRG study as ammunition to sell it. They already have argued that a 10-cent increase would cost the average driver an additional $92 a year more - about $500 a year less than the tab for auto repairs.

Polls still show considerable opposition to an increase in the gas tax. But the deteriorating conditions of the roads could change some minds, particularly if motorists can be convinced that it could actually end up saving them money in the long run - and if the DOT commissioner can't come up with a better alternative to raising revenue than selling naming rights at rest areas.

Read article at Asbury Park Press web site