TRENTON — As Gov. Chris Christie continues to deal with the fallout of the George Washington Bridge scandal, investigators have launched another bridge-related probe into his administration — this time over possible securities law violations stemming from a plan to repair the Pulaski Skyway, according to a report by the New York Times.

The Manhattan district attorney's office and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into a 2011 agreement Christie made to use $1.8 billion in Port Authority money to pay for repairs to the Skyway, a nearly 4-mile bridge-causeway linking Newark and Jersey City, according to the report.

Christie's administration pressed the Port Authority — the bistate agency that oversees tunnels and bridges between New Jersey and New York — to pay for the repairs and related road projects, diverting money that was set to be used on the Hudson River rail tunnel that the Republican governor canceled in October 2010, the report said.

Port Authority lawyers warned against the move because the Skyway is owned and operated by the state and not the agency, according to the report, which cited memos and emails reviewed by investigators that the newspaper had obtained.

Still, Christie's administration lobbied repeatedly to use the money, and the governor even announced that the state planned to use Port Authority funds before an agreement was reached, the report said. The agency eventually justified paying for the repairs by saying the bridge was an access road to the Lincoln Tunnel, even though the tunnel is located miles away, according to the report.

If true, that could be against state and federal security laws, the report said. A New York State law called the Martin Act allows prosecutors to bring felony charges for intentionally deceiving bond holders, without having to prove any intent to defraud or establish that fraud occurred, according to the report.

The office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and the SEC declined to comment, the report said.

Deborah Gramiccioni, the Port Authority's deputy executive director and a Christie appointee, told the newspaper the plan to fund the bridge had been "thoroughly vetted" by the lawyers for the state attorney general.

In April, Christie said "dozens and dozens of lawyers from both sides of the river reviewed that financing plan and approved it, as did the commissioners of the Port Authority."

This investigation was a spinoff of the ongoing George Washington Bridge probe. A state legislative committee and federal investigators are looking into whether members of Christie's staff and inner circle joined his allies at the Port Authority in orchestrating unannounced lane closings at the nation's busiest bridge last September, causing days of heavy traffic in Fort Lee, in a case of political payback.

Christie has denied any personal involvement, but he fired his deputy chief of staff after emails leaked that appeared to link her to the matter and cut ties with his former campaign manager. Three Port Authority officials with ties to the governor have also resigned.

MORE POLITICS

FOLLOW STAR-LEDGER POLITICS: TWITTER • FACEBOOK • GOOGLE+