PHILLIPSBURG, NJ – The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is mourning the recent passing of former Commissioner Garrett Leonard Van Vliet of Lopatcong Township, N.J.
According to a Ruppell Funeral Home obituary post, Mr. Van Vliet passed away July 14. He was 80 years old.
Gary, as he fondly was known to fellow Commissioners, served on the bi-state Commission’s board of directors from 2014 to early this year. Prior to his Commission appointment, Mr. Van Vliet amassed 38 years of experience in supervising road and bridge construction before retiring from the New Jersey Department of Transportation in 2002. He also was actively involved with his hometown of Lopatcong and the surrounding Warren County area, serving on various municipal panels and participating in multiple civic fraternal organizations.
“Gary was a tireless advocate for sound transportation planning, regardless of whether it was his Lopatcong-Phillipsburg area, the state of New Jersey, or the state of Pennsylvania,” said Commission Chairman Aladar G. Komjathy of New Jersey. “My colleagues and I learned a lot from Gary. It was an honor and a pleasure to serve beside him on the Commission. All of us here at the Commission are deeply saddened by his passing.”
“Every Commissioner valued Gary’s insights and respected his opinions,” said Commission Vice Chairwoman Pam Janvey of Pennsylvania. “He was a truly dedicated public servant and a real afficionado of transportation infrastructure. We share with his family our deep sorrow at his passing.”
“Garret Van Vliet’s prior practical and accomplished experience in the transportation field was a tremendous asset to his fellow Commissioners and agency staff,” said Executive Director Joseph J. Resta. “He was a tremendous resource to everyone here. A genuinely pleasant and thoroughly professional individual.”
Van Vliet’s experience was especially valuable in the planning, preparation, and execution of the agency’s five-year-long Scudder Falls (I-295) Bridge Replacement Project, the recent rehabilitation of the Northampton Street Toll-Supported Bridge (colloquially known as the “free bridge” between Phillipsburg, N.J. and Easton, PA.), and the COVID 19 pandemic challenges of 2020 and 2021.
