In The News

N.J. drawbridge is still stuck in the open position. Free shuttle should help, officials say. NJ.com, 4/30/24

N.Y. - N.J. Port Authority revenues are up over last year. Will the trend continue? NJ.com, 4/30/2024 (PAYWALL)

Warehouse industry reports point to possible slowdown NJ Spotlight News, 4/30/2024

Monmouth County offers free rides for medical visits for anyone who needs one Asbury Park Press, 4/30/24

NJ's Route 1 has become an increasingly dangerous commute. Here's what police are doing MyCentralJersey.com, 4/29/2024

Governor’s plan for funding NJ Transit is getting scrutiny NJ Spotlight News, 4/22/2024

The new Manhattan congestion pricing toll will go into effect June 30 NorthJersey.com, 4/26/24 - The MTA's congestion pricing plan for Manhattan will go into effect on June 30. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority officially passed the plan that will charge vehicles entering Manhattan from New Jersey using the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. Rates vary and there are exceptions.

Verona Selected for 'Complete Streets' Technical Assistance TAPinto Verona/Cedar Grove, 4/27/2024 - NJTPA MENTION - Verona Township will conduct a Complete Streets Corridor Assessment along a half-mile stretch of Linden Avenue through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Complete Streets Technical Assistance Program.

Middlesex County officials tout major transportation projects MyCentralJersey.com, 4/25/2024 - Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios noted transportation infrastructure investments making significant headway, like the remodeling of the New Brunswick train station and the construction of the North Brunswick train station, 

A section of the N.J. Turnpike in South Jersey is closer to a much-needed expansion NJ.com, 4/24/2024 - The project, which encompasses a 36.5-mile stretch from Exit 1 to Exit 4, would add one lane in each direction to end traffic congestion on what officials said is the last section of the Turnpike mainline still in its original two lane configuration.

Push to use sales tax revenue to help fund NJ Transit NJ Spotlight News, 4/24/2024 - Business lobbyists are suggesting that instead of raising corporate taxes to fund New Jersey Transit, the state should use New Jersey’s fast-growing sales tax revenues to prop up the beleaguered agency.

‘It’s Electric’: Princeton University’s shuttle fleet serves the entire community with zero emissions WHYY, 4/24/2024 - The shift to an all-electric fleet is expected to save about 500 metric tons of carbon emissions a year. In addition to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting additional air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, there are also the savings obtained by not operating a diesel fleet.

Work to replace Lodi's Passaic Avenue Bridge will take a year. Prepare for detours NorthJersey.com, 4/24/2024 - The Passaic Avenue Bridge that crosses over the flood-prone Saddle River will be replaced beginning next month in a $3.5 million, yearlong project.

This N.J. bridge was built when Teddy Roosevelt was president. It’s finally getting replaced. NJ.com, 4/23/2024 (PAYWALL) - If the Passaic Avenue bridge were a person, a retirement after 121 years on the job would be well deserved. The busy two-lane span over the Saddle River in Lodi was built in 1903 and finally next month, work will start on a replacement.

NJ releases a 'Statewide Climate Change Resiliency Strategy.' They want your feedback NorthJersey.com, 4/23/2024 - On Monday, to kick off Earth Week, New Jersey's Interagency Council on Climate Change Resilience released a draft of its Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan and launched an updated version of a digital resource platform called Heat Hub NJ.

New Jersey crowned most densely populated state in the US. Here's why Asbury Park Press, 4/23/2024 - It's no secret that New Jersey's quite popular during the summer season. And according to new list by the finance website, Insider Monkey, there are 19 most densely populated states and New Jerseys ranks at the number one spot. Tell us something that we don't know.

Bike Safety Corridor Is In The Works In Belleville (Here's Where) Patch.com, 4/23/2024 - NJTPA MENTION - A new bicycle safety “corridor” is in the works in Belleville, officials recently announced. Last week, the township announced that it will develop a Bicycle Corridor Plan for the area around Belleville High School and the municipal stadium through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Complete Streets Technical Assistance Program.

Pedestrian Safety Campaign Launches in Union County TAPinto Westfield, 4/23/2024 - NJTPA MENTION - Union County launched its Street Smart NJ pedestrian safety campaign this month at a site where a pedestrian was seriously injured in 2023.

This Route 78 project will cause delays at the N.J.-Pennsylvania border over the next year NJ.com, 4/22/2024 (PAYWALL) - Drivers using the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission's Route 78 bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania are in for some closed lanes during two overnight periods this week that is a prelude to a bigger construction project.

How this massive Route 80 rehabilitation project will impact N.J. drivers over the next decade NJ.com, 4/22/2024 (PAYWALL) - In 1962, the Beatles were a hit in Europe and just being discovered in America. That year, Route 80 started pushing its way through Bergen and Passaic counties along with a string of overpasses carrying local streets over it, all built between 1962 and 1971.

Trucks with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving tractor-trailers NBCPhiladelphia.com, 4/29/24 On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks.
 

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars Vox, April 28, 2024 - Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any sedans in its home market.) Bulky SUVs and pickup trucks — which have themselves steadily added pounds and inches — now comprise more than four out of every five new cars sold in the US, up from just over half in 2013, even as national household size steadily declines.

In deploying AI, the Federal Aviation Administration faces unique challenges Fedscoop, APRIL 30, 2024  As federal agencies ramp up their AI work, observers say the FAA is taking a “cautious” approach as it wrestles with safety questions.

Biden Administration Moves to Speed Up Permits for Clean Energy New York Times, April 30, 2024 - The Biden administration on Tuesday released rules designed to speed up permits for clean energy while requiring federal agencies to more heavily weigh damaging effects on the climate and on low-income communities before approving projects like highways and oil wells.

Has the US finally figured out how to do high-speed rail? New Scientist, April 22, 2024 - As work begins on building the US’s first high-speed rail service – linking Los Angeles to Las Vegas – analysts say the project could serve as a blueprint for similar projects across the country.