Water under the bridge?

Any commuter in the tri-state area is well aware of how much of a pain the George Washington Bridge can be.  Frustrated people stuck in traffic will often wonder why there is construction or delays at a certain time.  Now, it appears they have an answer.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration is coming under fire due to a controversial lane closure situation with political ties.  A federal investigation into the matter has opened up, which also sparked a number of residents to file suit against their own state leader.  Christie, who had previously been seen as a hardball, no-nonsense politician, is now at the center of a major controversy.

According to reports, people working under Governor Christie manufactured a lane closure on the GW, which connects Northern NJ to Manhattan NY.  The mayor of Fort Lee, NJ, who happens to be a democrat, had not yet endorsed his republican governor’s re-election campaign.  Christie, who has Presidential aspirations in 2016, has already fired his chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, who communicated with another high-ranking official at the Port Authority, who controls public transit in the NY/NJ area.  In an email last summer, Kelly wrote “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”, to which a Port Authority excutive replied “Got it.”  David Wildstein, who later resigned, is the one who brought forth the emails.

The class-action lawsuit was raised by 6 citizens of New Jersey, and they are seeking damages brought on by the State of New Jersey and also the Port Authority.  One lawyer claimed that her client was late to work and suffered a panic attack.  Political pundits do not see Christie suffering a major hit concerning his dreams of the White House, although this is certainly a black eye to a figure which many people liken to fictional mob boss Tony Soprano.  Many agree that the Governor himself was not directly involved, and he is certainly helping his case by firing campaign officials and anyone else who knew about the GWB lane closures.  Until this political drama dies down, maybe it’s best to play it safe and just take the Lincoln Tunnel.