FROM THE JERSEY DESK... It appears that the controversy over the 559 bus between NJ Transit, NJDOT, and Bass River Township, Ocean County, may be reaching a conclusion. The Press of Atlantic City reports that NJDOT officials may be close to reaching some sort of agreement with Bass River officials that would allow bus service to operate through the township while the Bass River bridge is being rebuilt. NJDOT officials are considering putting a 30-foot Nova RTS bus into service along that section of US 9 while construction continues or paying Burlington County to operate its shuttle buses more frequently. A final agreement should be reached in a matter of days.

PATCO EXPANSION POSSIBLE? On another transit related note in South Jersey, The Inquirer reported that officals from the Delaware River Port Authority are seeking long term solutions to the parking lots that are the NJ 42 and NJ 55 freeways through Camden and Gloucester Counties. One possible solution mentioned was a PATCO extension along the NJ 42/NJ 55 corridor which could potentially stretch into Millville, Cumberland County. NJ Transit had originally proposed a rail system connecting Camden and/or Philadelphia along existing rail lines to Glassboro, however fierce opposition from Gloucester County residents and freeholders eventually cut back the original South Jersey LRT system - which would've operated from Mount Holly, Burlington County to Glassboro, via Camden. Republican bigwigs in Burlington County eventually convinced NJ Transit to use the Trenton to Camden riverfront corridor instead, and the rest is boondoggle history.