Ocean County Commissioner John P. Kelly told fellow Board members that as NJTPA Chair, improving safety and accessibility along Route 9, one of the region’s most congested corridors will be his top priority.
“Our infrastructure needs to ensure that people can get to where they need to go safely and efficiently, regardless of their travel mode,” he said at the March 11 Board of Trustees meeting. “Reducing this congestion will also help improve air quality for residents in the communities along Route 9.”
The Board elected a new Executive Committee, including naming Commissioner Kelly Chair, at its January meeting.
Chairman Kelly noted that in addition to improving the flow of vehicles along Route 9, it’s important to also consider upgrades to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in Lakewood. He said he looks forward to working with the New Jersey Department of Transportation to explore solutions for the corridor. He noted that the NJTPA completed a study in 2016 that explored potential improvements to Route 9 in Lakewood and Toms River.
Improving safety, accessibility and air quality, and reducing congestion — all things Kelly said he would like to see accomplished for Route 9 — are among the NJTPA’s goals in its Long Range Transportation Plan. The NJTPA will be launching an update of that plan, which guides all its planning work, later this year, including extensive outreach to Board members, stakeholders, and the public.
Another key-theme in the long-range plan is resiliency, and Kelly said that is also an area he would like to focus on, noting that Route 9 is a critical evacuation route during natural disasters, such as hurricanes and forest fires.
“It’s critical that we harden our region’s infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events,” he said. “While this is particularly important in a coastal county like Ocean, it is increasingly an issue throughout our entire region.”