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U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate the controversial closure of the local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge earlier this year.

(Jen Brown/The Star-Ledger)

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia has asked the federal transportation secretary to investigate September's controversial George Washington Bridge local access lane closures and determine what oversight authority the government have over the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Rockefeller, a Democrat who chairs the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said he had an obligation to look into the matter after a Congressional report was critical of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and an agency official provided evasive testimony during a Commerce Subcommittee hearing last year.

In a Monday letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Rockefeller wrote: "I ask that you review the events of this incident and examine the Department's authority to ensure oversight of the agency to prevent future disruptions."

The bi-state agency was created by an act of Congress in 1921, and relies on some federal funding for operations as well as federal approval of its interstate projects.

Rockefeller also wrote to Port Authority Chairman David Samson and Vice Chairman Scott Rechler on Monday, noting that he had, "serious concerns about the larger federal implications of what appears to be political appointees abusing their power to hamper interstate commerce and safety without public notice."

"This latest incident adds to my committee's existing concerns about the management of the Port Authority," the letter added.

Rockefeller attached a list of questions for commissioners that he wanted answered by Jan. 15, involving standard procedures for lane closings, notifications, testimony by POrt Authority officials on the matter, and what role the board had played in the closings, any traffic study or the agency's subsequent response.

The Port Authority released a statement saying it was reviewing the Commerce Committee chairman's request, and that "we will be providing the Chairman with a response as requested."

The Sept. 9-13 lane closures clogged Fort Lee streets, angering commuters and local officials, and touching off a scandal resulting in the resignation of New Jersey's top two executives at the Port Authority, both named to the bi-state agency by Gov. Chris Christie. The scandal has attracted national attention ahead of Christie's widely anticipated presidential run in 2016.

Some Democrats say they suspect the closures were politically motivated, after Fort Lee's mayor failed to cross party lines and join other uban Democrats in endorsing the Republican governor for re-election last month. Before his resignation was announced by the governor last week, Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni said the closures were related to a traffic safety study. Christie says he had nothing to do with the closures.

The launch of a federal probe is in addition to an ongoing investigations by an Assembly panel and by the Port Authority Inspector General's Office, as well as an internal review being conducted by the agency's executive director, an appointee of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), who is leading the Assembly probe, has subpoenaed various documents from the Port Authority related to the closures, including any correspondence between agency officials and the governor or his administration. Wisniewski said this afternoon that he had not received any of the documents he subpoenaed on Nov. 27 or Dec. 12, despite a deadline set for this Thursday.

"I'm not happy about the delay because this is not a complicated request," said Wisniewski, who chairs the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.

Foye has suggested the closures may have violated the Federal Bridge Act, by interfering with interstate commerce. Rockefeller also raised the possibility that the closures may have interfered with commerce.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, issued a report this year criticizing a lack of transparency and accountability at the agency. The GAO report had been requested by the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who in April 2012 clashed openly with Baroni during a Commerce subcommittee hearing, after which Rockefeller criticized Baroni's lack of decorum and combative responses to questions.

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