“The opportunity to serve the Governor and the people of New Jersey as the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation is an honor and a privilege. Growing up in Jersey City, I not only saw how our transportation system served people — I lived it. I relied on public transportation every day to get around Jersey City, the state, and the region. I’ve racked up thousands of miles driving on local and state-owned roadways throughout New Jersey. I know what these services and infrastructure really mean to the people who depend on them. Transportation is a basic need and something that impacts every person every day.
“Governor Murphy’s vision is for a transportation system that is resilient to climate change, accessible for all, and most importantly, safe for even our most vulnerable roadway users. This vision is something I have believed in since working as a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike. There is nothing more important to me than making sure everyone gets home safe every night. That is why I am committed to improving safety on our roadways — for our motoring public, for our pedestrians and bicyclists, and of course, for our frontline workers — because, simply put, one death is too many."
O’Connor returns to New Jersey State service with over 40 years of public and private sector transportation experience. He began his public service career at the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) as a toll collector and rose to be the Deputy Director of the NJTA’s Electronic Toll Collection Program. In that role he launched the authority’s first electronic toll collection installation.
While in the private sector, O’Connor advised transportation agencies across the country on the development and execution of critical projects with a strategic focus on toll roads. In this work, O’Connor has overseen hundreds of employees at a time, implemented large-scale customer service centers, and engaged with regulatory entities at all levels of government.
