The legislative reforms to the transportation agency were passed as federal prosecutors investigate "Bridgegate," in which traffic lanes approaching the George Washington Bridge across the Hudson River were shut for several days in September 2013 in what many suspect was a politically motivated move by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration.
Christie, chairman of the Republican Governor's Association and a potential presidential candidate, and Democrat New York Governor Andrew Cuomo instead threw their support behind a string of reforms to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey proposed by a bi-state panel.
The reforms include the resignation of the agency's board of commissioners, changes in how its top executives are appointed and divestment of some of its real estate holdings, including the World Trade Center, among other changes.
