Transportation infrastructure is vital to New Jersey’s economy and safeguarding and improving it deserves greater public recognition and support. That was a key theme heard today by nearly 150 public officials, transportation professionals and citizens attending a Transportation Infrastructure Summit sponsored by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) in partnership with the New Jersey Alliance for Action and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The summit, titled “The Future of New Jersey’s Transportation Infrastructure,” included a keynote address by noted Professor Joseph J. Seneca of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, as well as presentations by a panel of seven transportation and policy experts and a question and answer period.
NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman, a Sussex County Freeholder, opened the session by noting that the discussion of the future of infrastructure is especially critical given the state of the economy and ongoing efforts in Washington to develop a new surface transportation authorization law.
“It is more important that ever that we work together here in New Jersey to develop a unified and rational approach to the task at hand – protecting and improving our valued transportation infrastructure,” Zellman said.
Seneca discussed a recent study conducted by Rutgers University for the New Jersey Department of Transportation that examined the economic impact of various types of transportation projects. In one case, a bridge improvement was estimated to produce $35.80 in economic benefits for each dollar invested.
Seneca emphasized for a state to succeed in a tough, competitive economic climate, it must “pay laser-like attention to improving its business climate and investing in multimodal transportation . . . gridlock is a death knell for business and household investment decisions.”
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| Panelists at the Infrastructure Summit |
The panel discussion was moderated by Martin E. Robins of the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers. Participants included Philip Beachem of the New Jersey Alliance for Action, Rick Hammer of NJDOT, Rich Roberts of NJ TRANSIT, Ocean County Engineer Frank Scarantino representing the New Jersey Association of County Engineers, Richard Roper of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Brent Barnes of NJDOT.
Video of the conference is available at njtpa.org.
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MPO Executive Directors participated in the Oct. 20 Metropolitan Area Planning Forum at the NJTPA. Pictured from left: Jon Chew, HVCEO; Mary K. Murphy, NJTPA; Floyd Lapp, SWRPA; Joel Ettinger, NYMTC; Rick Dunne, Valley COG; and Mark Nielsen, GBRPA. |
The NJTPA on Oct. 20 hosted the second annual New York-New Jersey-Connecticut Metropolitan Area Planning Forum. The event sought to foster more effective planning throughout the three-state region through coordination and cooperation among the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).
The MPOs represented include: The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA), the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO), the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency (GBRPA), and the Valley Council of Governments (Valley COG), and the NJTPA.
NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles was the keynote speaker; he focused on opportunities for improving and better coordinating transit services for all tri-state area travelers. Regardless of “agency turf,” he said officials must develop creative solutions within the metropolitan area. “Our challenge is to broaden our horizons and stay alert for future opportunities to coordinate.”
“Our multi-agency work will pay off,” said Sarles, pointing to ideas including integrated fare systems, upgrading the Northeast Corridor, and the new trans-Hudson rail tunnel being built.
Connecticut’s Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie also emphasized the significance of improved transit operations. He said the metropolitan area has an “opportunity to capitalize” on all-time-high transit ridership. He also noted the importance of improving and integrating real-time traveler information, taking a regional approach to developing “smart car” technology, and generating support for system preservation and integration.
Other topics discussed at the Planning Forum included: better coordination of Intelligent Transportation Systems; the potential for waterborne freight movement known as “short sea shipping” to help divert trucks from congested roadways; the importance of working with the I-95 Corridor Coalition on infrastructure projects; and improving data sharing and modeling.
To follow-up on ideas at the Forum, participants plan future meetings and staff-to-staff coordination.
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The NJTPA has launched an effort to conduct a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and forecast for northern and central New Jersey. The goal of this effort is to quantify, to the extent possible, the amount and kinds of climate change-causing gases that are emitted in the region.
The project will calculate the greenhouse gas emissions produced from a wide range of sources, including power use in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors; transportation-related emissions from automobiles, aviation, marine and rail sources; industrial processes; agricultural sources; waste management; and land use changes due to development. In addition, a GHG emissions forecast for the years 2020, 2035 and 2050 will be completed.
The inventory is intended to identify the sources of these emissions down to the county and municipal levels, as well as to serve as a reference point for future emission projections. The inventory and forecast will help state, regional and local leaders and residents understand the sources of GHG emissions so that well-informed policy decisions will be made to reduce them.
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| The NJTPA’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory will calculate the contributions from a wide range of sources, including personal transportation and land use changes due to development. |
The NJTPA has hired a consultant team to assist in the inventory effort. The firms of E.H. Pechan & Associates, AKRF, Inc. and AECOM will supply the NJTPA with technical support on the project, while Arch Street Communications, Inc. will provide outreach support. The project’s progress will be overseen by a Technical Advisory Committee along with regular updates to the NJTPA Climate Change Working Group.
Completing the inventory project will represent a substantial step by the NJTPA in its ongoing multi-year climate change initiatives program. The effort is intended to ensure that climate change considerations are reflected in the regional and local planning processes.
An important aspect of this project is the support that will be provided by the consultant to the counties and cities represented on the NJTPA Board, including additional inventory refinements, identification and assessment of potential mitigation strategies and other related activities.
“Many communities in the NJTPA region are already working to calculate their own greenhouse gas emissions, and the results of this inventory will be of great assistance to them,” said NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman, a Sussex County Freeholder. “The project will also provide valuable technical support and training for local officials conducting their research.”
The results of the GHG inventory and forecasting project will serve as a basis for the NJTPA to formulate and evaluate greenhouse gas reduction policies and action plans, at the regional, county and municipal levels.
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The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) is evaluating options for increasing the clearance beneath the Bayonne Bridge, an issue officials point to as critically important to the region’s economy.
In an Oct. 19 presentation to the NJTPA Freight Initiatives Committee, PANYNJ Deputy Executive Director Susan Bass Levin said the span, which opened in 1931, can no longer accommodate many modern ships.
“With an air draft of just 151 feet, the Bayonne Bridge is a roadblock to commerce as the ships get larger and larger,” Bass Levin Said.
If ships can’t land at Port Newark/Elizabeth, experts say they may instead use a competing port and move the freight by truck into the New York metropolitan area. The economic ramifications would trickle down in the form of higher prices for goods, lost jobs and lost tax revenues, she said.
Bass Levin said the Port Authority continues to analyze the costs, environmental effects, traffic impacts and other considerations associated with potential solutions such as raising the roadway, building a new bridge or building a tunnel to handle vehicle traffic.
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| Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, who chairs the NJTPA’s Freight Initiatives Committee, is pictured with Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Deputy Executive Director Susan Bass-Levin who spoke on efforts to address clearance issues involving the Bayonne Bridge at the Committee’s Oct. 19 meeting |
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Plan 2035, the Regional Transportation Plan for northern New Jersey, has been printed and distributed in final form. In addition, the Plan has been posted on the NJTPA website, which also includes a 6-minute Plan 2035 video and the interactive “visioning tool” used during the Plan’s development.
Approved by the NJTPA Board in August, Plan 2035 sets out a vision for the future development of the region’s transportation system. To fulfill its vision, the Plan identifies hundreds of projects that will be implemented over the next decade or more. It also identifies numerous mobility needs and issues that will undergo further study to yield long-term transportation improvements.
Key features of the Plan include a focus on achieving smart growth, improving mass transit, addressing climate change and promoting livable communities. It includes projections of future funding needs.
Copies of the Plan 2035 Executive Summary and a CD containing the full Plan, appendices, and the video are available upon request.
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Sarah Newkirk, Coastal Programs Director for the Nature Conservancy, discussed the challenges of preparing shore communities for the impacts of climate change at the Nov. 2 meeting of the NJTPA’s Climate Working Group.
Newkirk’s presentation focused on the Coastal Resilience Project, an effort to encourage effective planning that protects both ecosystems and human communities against forces like rising sea levels and coastal flooding. Newkirk demonstrated an interactive mapping tool that shows where the most vulnerable areas are on the south shore of Long Island and projects where the water lines will be by the year 2080.
Newkirk emphasized the importance of restoring and protecting natural buffers such as sand dunes and coastal wetlands so they’ll endure through major weather events. But that work alone can’t protect coastal areas, she said.
“Even if we did everything right, we still have a sizeable problem on our hands,” she said.
To learn more about the Coastal Resilience Project or try the mapping tool online, visit coastalresilience.org.
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Fernando L. Rubio, who worked for the City of Newark as a principal transportation planner for 35 years, passed away on Nov. 21. Mr. Rubio worked in the Department of Engineering's Division of Traffic & Signals and was Newark's longtime representative on the NJTPA's Regional Technical Advisory Committee. He also participated in numerous NJTPA Board, committee and stakeholder group meetings over the years, providing valuable insights and advocating for transportation upgrades in Newark.
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The NJTPA Board of Trustees meets every other month at the NJTPA offices in Newark, but if your increasingly busy schedule precludes you from attending an upcoming meeting and you don't want to miss out on what happened, visit the NJTPA's website. You can now watch Board meetings in real-time at www.njtpa.org.
To watch future Board meetings streamed live over the internet, log on to the NJTPA's website on the day of the event (check the "Upcoming Meetings" link at top right) and follow the link for the live webcast on the home page.
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Middle-school students from the Livingston Robotics Club conducted a presentation for NJTPA staff on Nov. 30. Club members are working on a project involving transportation efficiency and safety around the Livingston Mall, and part of their project involves presenting their work to transportation professionals. The students are entering their project into a competition that focuses on technology and transportation.
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Officials gather on Dec. 4, 2009 at Route 206 in Byram, Sussex County. The highway will be widened for 1.2 miles between Acorn Street and just north of Byram Plaza to address significant traffic congestion. Pictured from left: Chris Coppola, NJDOT; NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy; Bernadette Pasqua, NJDOT; Byram Councilman Brian Thompson; Assistant NJDOT Commissioner Richard Hammer; Charles Henry, NJDOT Project Manager; Sussex County Freeholder Director Glen Vetrano (shoveling); Snehal Patel, NJDOT Program Manager; Sussex County Freeholder Susan M. Zellman; NJ Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose; Byram Councilwoman Marie Raffay; NJ Assemblyman Gary Chiusano; Byram Mayor James Oscovitch; Byram Manager Joe Sabatini; NJ Senator Steven Oroho; and Sussex County Administrator John Eskilson.
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The NJTPA is currently updating its Strategic Business Plan; the update is part of ongoing efforts to make the agency a more effective leader for transportation planning and decision-making in the region.
Representatives from the consultant firm of Avant, Inc. gave a presentation at the Nov. 9 NJTPA Board meeting to chart progress in creating the new plan. Updated every five years, the Strategic Business Plan establishes the operational policies, goals and objectives of the Board to support the mission of the NJTPA.
The consultant team has conducted surveys and held discussions with NJTPA Board members, agency staff, county representatives, and others in an effort to seek a variety of input on the plan. The project is expected to be complete in January.
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