An ambitious agenda of studies and planning work for Fiscal Year 2012 was approved at the NJTPA Board’s May 9 meeting.
The Board-approved Unified Planning Work Program, or UPWP, summarizes and guides the transportation planning activities of the NJTPA’s Central Staff, member agencies, and other transportation agencies in the region. The federally required UPWP covers
two years and is updated annually. FY 2012 begins July 1, 2011 and ends June 30, 2012.
The program includes many new initiatives by NJTPA staff and the 15 city and county subregions represented on the NJTPA Board. The UPWP document includes eight volumes and is available on the NJTPA website. It reflects the priorities in Plan 2035, NJTPA’s long range transportation plan, and the NJTPA’s Strategic Business Plan.
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| Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt, right, speaks at the NJTPA's May 9 Board meeting. At left is Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise |
Among the new or expanded activities in the coming year are:
- Continued work with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council to produce a common set of demographic forecasts for the NY/NJ commuter shed.
- Study of opportunities for Bus Rapid Transit.
- An inventory of abandoned rail corridors in the region.
- Setting goals and
targets for regional greenhouse gas reductions based on the emissions inventory completed this year.
- A Local Planning Assistance Program to support smart growth studies by local governments.
- A solicitation for
Concept Development projects that can be funded through the new Local Capital Project Delivery Program.
- Implementation of the
Strategic Business Plan
- Implementation of the Traffic Sign Inventory and Assessment Program.
- Eleven Subregional Studies (see page 3)
- New responsibility for management of all eight Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) in the state (see sidebar, page 3)
The UPWP also contains a range of continuing planning activities the NJTPA is required to conduct as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). These include maintaining regional data, assessing air quality impacts, compiling the annual Transportation Improvement Program (TIP,) holding formal comment periods, and conducting corridor studies, among others.
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The NJTPA Board, at its May 9 meeting, unanimously endorsed the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s proposed 2012 Transportation Capital Program.
The annual program, which was submitted to the state Legislature, outlines projects to be implemented with available state and federal funding. It then becomes the basis for developing the NJTPA’s federally required Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which will be considered by the Board later this year.
The Capital Program for FY 2012 provides $2.7 billion for the NJTPA region from state, federal, Port Authority of NY and NJ, and other sources. Through its endorsement, the NJTPA signals its support of the road, bridge, and transit projects contained in the program and its determination that the program represents a balanced agenda of investments.
The Capital Program emphasizes “fix it first” projects such as bridge repair, road resurfacing, and transit system preservation.
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| Monmouth County's study will produce a master plan encompassing bicycle and pedestrian travel. |
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Eleven new subregional studies were endorsed by the NJTPA Board at its May 9 meeting. The Subregional Study Program provides two-year grants on a competitive basis to the 13 counties and two cities (known as subregions) represented on the NJTPA Board.
The program is designed to help counties and cities develop transportation improvement strategies rooted in the NJTPA’s Regional Transportation Plan. Ultimately, the program aims to generate project concepts ready for further development or implementation consistent with regional planning goals.
The following is a list of the approved studies and their anticipated costs:
- River Road/Hudson Waterfront Corridor Strategy, $460,000. Will develop concepts for mobility, accessibility, safety and quality-of-life improvements along the River Road Corridor in Edgewater and Fort Lee, Bergen County.
- Essex County Comprehensive Transportation Plan, $350,000. Study will produce an update to the county’s transportation plan.
- Jersey City/Journal Square/Bayonne BRT Study, $250,000. Will study the feasibility of bus rapid transit (BRT) service in southern Hudson County using existing rights-of-way.
- Liberty State Park Circulator Cost-Benefit Analysis, $220,000. Will analyze a range of options for mass transit service to destinations in Liberty State Park and nearby residential developments and businesses in Jersey City.
- Morris Canal Greenway Plan, $220,000. Will prepare a plan for a bicycle and pedestrian path in Jersey City along the former Morris Canal route.
- Update of the Transportation Plan Element of the Middlesex County Comprehensive Master Plan, $100,000. Study will update the transportation components of the county’s master plan.
- Monmouth County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, $250,000. Development of the county’s first master plan for non-motorized travel.
- Route 124 Corridor Transit Access Improvement Study, $300,000. Will study options for improving transit access to Convent Station, Madison and Chatham rail stations in Morris County.
- Passaic County History and Tourism Plan, $200,000. Will detail the circulation, service, infrastructure and capital needs for promoting and managing historic and scenic tourism.
- Using Access and Mobility Improvements to Support Redevelopment Opportunities in Somerset County, $300,000. Analysis of transportation services needed to accommodate and spur redevelopment.
- Sussex County Complete Streets Study, $200,000. Will help to establish a countywide complete streets policy and develop an implementation plan for study recommendations.
The study costs will be paid for through NJTPA grants and a 20 percent local match. Funding will begin with the start of Fiscal Year 2012 on July 1.
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Shuttle services and community mobility programs were approved by the NJTPA Board at its May 9 meeting; the action authorizes the two-dozen programs to receive federal Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom grant funding.
JARC supports services that link low-income workers with job centers, such as shuttles, vanpools, new bus routes, connections to mass transit and guaranteed ride home programs. Fourteen existing services were selected for continued JARC funding, along with one new service.
The New Freedom program is designed to help enhance mobility options for travelers with disabilities. Five of the nine services are new.
The NJTPA has made $2.7 million in JARC and $2.2 million in New Freedom funding available to cover one year of funding requests for these services. The final allocations for each service will be determined subject to final approval by NJ Transit and successful demonstration by sponsors that they can meet local match requirements.
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The NJTPA participated in a May 11 ceremony to mark the completion
of the Chester Branch Railroad in Morris County. The four-mile railroad, now owned by the county and operated by the Morristown and Erie Railway for short-haul freight transport, was completely rehabilitated with funds approved by the NJTPA through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Pictured at the final “spike driving” ceremony are, from left: Carolyn Fefferman, Senior Advisor to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, NJTPA First Vice Chairman and Morris County Freeholder Gene F. Feyl, and NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy.
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The NJTPA Board has authorized $2 million in federal funds to help the region meet recent national guidelines for the nighttime visibility and readability of traffic signs.
In 2008, the Federal Highway Administration established higher “retro-reflectivity” guidelines for all regulatory, warning and guide signs in its Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the national standard for signs and signals on public roads. The new requirements will be phased in by 2018.
Through the NJTPA’s MUTCD Traffic Sign Inventory and Assessment Program, the Board, at its May 9 meeting, voted to divide the $2 million up equally ($133,000 each) among each of the NJTPA’s 15 county and city subregions. The funding will be used to provide support in cataloguing the current sign conditions in each area and with the establishment of sign management methods to maintain them at or above the minimum compliance levels.
NJTPA Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan, a Union County Free-holder, said the Board’s action will help the region meet these new requirements. “These standards will make travel safer, particularly during darkness and for drivers with vision impairments,” Chairman Sullivan said. “However, much work will be required to bring all of northern New Jersey’s signs and signals into compliance. This measure will help us take steps toward that goal.”
Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt, who serves as Chairman of the NJTPA’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, said the NJTPA saw a need to assist the counties and cities in meeting these mandates. “This is a good example of the NJTPA using federal transportation funding to make a positive difference on the local level,” Holt said.
For more information on the MUTCD, visit the FHWA website at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
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The NJTPA on Wednesday June 29, 2011 will hold a symposium titled “Toward a More Resilient Region.” The event—the latest in the NJTPA’s popular series of transportation and technology symposia—will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the NJTPA’s conference room.
This symposium will look at regional strategies for improving the resilience of our existing infrastructure and will engage stakeholders in a dialogue to better understand and address infrastructure interdependencies and vulnerabilities. Operational concerns, technology updates, and policy issues also will be discussed. A full agenda is being developed; for updates visit njtpa.org.
This free symposium will be eligible for 3.0 American Institute of Certified Planners—Certification Maintenance (AICP-CM) credits, subject to approval by the American Planning Association. For more information, contact NJTPA Director of External Affairs Mary Ameen at mameen@njtpa.org.
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Part of the NJTPA’s mission is to monitor compliance with national air quality goals and to incorporate environmental concerns into the transportation planning process. To this end, the NJTPA Board on May 9 authorized the allocation of $800,000 to help retrofit a portion of NJ Transit’s diesel locomotive fleet with equipment that will enable them to automatically shut down rather than idle for long periods of time.
NJ Transit will provide a local match of $200,000 for the purchase. “This equipment will help cut down on diesel use, greenhouse gas emissions, and the wear and tear the locomotives endure from idling,” said NJTPA Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan, also a Union County freeholder. “It’s practical investment that will pay for itself over time in fuel cost savings while keeping our air cleaner.”
Funding for the initiative comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, which provides financing for projects that reduce congestion and/or pollutants from fossil fuel use.
The NJTPA’s Local CMAQ Initiatives Program, included in its FY 2010-13 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), devotes $2 million in funding this year for regional projects that accomplish these clean air goals.
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The NJTPA assumes new responsibility beginning July 1 for management of all eight non-profit Transportation Manage-ment Associations (TMAs) in the state. The NJTPA will help guide the TMAs in providing essential transportation services; it also will facilitate better coordination among the TMAs, the NJTPA’s subregions, NJ Transit, NJDOT, and other partner organizations.
An initial working group meeting to discuss coordination of TMAs was held May 3 with representatives from the TMAs and staff from the NJTPA and its subregions.
Among other activities, TMAs play a vital role in helping to increase commuter access to transit services, providing commuter information, working with employers on workforce access, promoting ridesharing, running community shuttle services, and providing support and data to the NJTPA on regional planning. The eight TMAs in New Jersey are: Meadowlink, TransOptions, Ridewise, Keep Middlesex Moving, HART Commuter Information Services, Hudson TMA, Greater Mercer TMA and Cross County Connection.
For more information about the region’s TMAs and contact information, visit this link at www.njtpa.org.
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The NJTPA welcomed a 13-person delegation from China on April 12. The group from Hubei Province (equivalent to a U.S. state) consisted of officials from state and county-level agencies with interests in housing, urban-rural development and construction. They visited the NJTPA to learn about transportation planning in the northern New Jersey region, with an emphasis on project evaluation and selection. NJTPA staff presented the region’s project planning and implementation process, followed by an exchange of ideas.
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NJTPA Deputy Executive Director Cliff Sobel has retired. Sobel had been with the NJTPA since its inception; his duties included oversight of programming and planning. Longtime NJTPA Business Manager Marie Delle Pelle has also retired. We wish them both well.
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Copies of new NJTPA publications are available upon request and at www.njtpa.org.
These include new versions of the NJTPA Acronym Guide and introductory brochure; a new booklet about the Local Capital Project Delivery Program; and an Issue Spotlight newsletter covering the NJTPA’s symposium on ITS and operations planning.
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