Democratic New Jersey State Senator Richard Codey told the Star-Ledger newspaper he plans to introduce a bill that would give the Port Authority inspector general’s office subpoena power outside the agency as it investigates lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in September. The closures caused days of gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J., and some Democrats have alleged Gov. Chris Christie’s appointees at Port Authority, which oversees the bridge, ordered the lanes shut because a local mayor declined to endorse the governor.
Codey admitted Christie is unlikely to sign the bill, but he said he may “try to get support to override the veto.”
In addition to the Port Authority, which oversees the George Washington Bridge, the lane closures are also being investigated by the New Jersey General Assembly’s Transportation Committee. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has also called for a federal review of the lane closures.
