All New Jersey Roads Lead to Bridgegate

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed this week to pay a $400,000 fine for using its funds to rebuild the Pulaski Skyway. The settlement with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission follows an investigation into the use of Port Authority funds for a New Jersey road that is not connected to the agency's bridges or tunnels. 

The Port Authority used money from the canceled ARC Tunnel project, which was eliminated by Gov. Chris Christie in 2010. It was part of the $1.8 billion diversion of federal funds from the proposed Hudson train tunnel to highway construction. 

"In the course of our reporting on Bridgegate in early 2014, we discovered that Gov. Christie had effectively used the Port Authority as the state’s piggy bank for all sorts of projects," WNYC's Nancy Solomon told host Richard Hake. 

Also this week, Charles McKenna, the governor's chief counsel at the time of the Pulaski deal, was appointed to another top job in the administration. 

"He’s an intriguing guy who had a role in the Bridgegate coverup," Solomon said.