Up Close: New Port Authority chairman
NEW YORK (WABC) -- You hear about the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey whenever toll increases come up.
But the bi-state agency's power goes far beyond bridges and tunnels, and the ongoing scandal over Bridgegate is exposing just how political the agency has become.
This week, a candid conversation with the newly appointed chairman of the Port Authority, John Degnan, who's vowing to turn around the embattled agency.
He's a Democrat and former New Jersey State Attorney General, appointed by Republican Governor Chris Christie.
He leads an agency that touches the lives of millions of people in New York and New Jersey, an agency that oversees everything from airports to PATH trains, to the opening of One World Trade.
It's funded by the tolls we pay everytime we cross a bridge or use a tunnel connection New York and New Jersey.
Plus, the New York City Transportation Commissioner, Polly Trottenberg, responds to an exclusive Eyewitness News report, challenging the city's claim that the bike lanes are actually cutting down driving time.
Many drivers in New York City complain bike lanes are taking up road space and creating gridlock.
So we were surprised when the city's Department of Transportation released a report stating that the city's bike lanes actually cut down on traffic jams and drive time.
Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter Jim Hoffer put the DOT's claims to the test, and found the city's numbers did not add up.
Port Authority chairman John Degnan, Part 2:
NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg:
