The NJTPA is working with its federal partners, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), subregions and other state and local agencies to make travel safer and more reliable for all who use our region’s transportation system. To support these efforts, the NJTPA solicits candidate projects for implementation under two safety funding programs each fiscal year. The FY 2011 solicitation, was distributed to NJTPA member subregions in December 2009 and will end on February 15, 2010.
Local Safety Program
The federally funded Local Safety Program advances safety initiatives on county and local roadway facilities in the NJTPA region. Projects on state, U.S. and Interstate highways are not eligible for funding under this program. Since its inception with a pilot program in 2004, the NJTPA has approved projects to allocate over $10 million in Local Safety Program funds for quick-fix, high impact safety improvements on county and local roadways. Projects supported have included new and upgraded signals and signage, striping, and other improvements to increase the safety of drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Local Safety Program is a component of wider safety planning at the NJTPA, supporting construction of quick-fix, high-impact safety improvements on county and local roadways and is funded in the current Transportation Improvement Program at $2 million per year. Please be sure to review the "Local Safety Program & High Risk Rural Roads Program Guidelines” that contain important changes to this year's solicitation.
High Risk Rural Roads Program
SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation funding legislation, has specifically set-aside federal safety funds to address travel safety needs in rural areas.
First solicited by the NJTPA in FY 2009, the High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) provides funds for quick-fix safety improvements on eligible roadways and is funded in the current Transportation Improvement Program at $1 million per year.
Eligible sponsors will have the opportunity to apply under the HRRRP if the proposed project is located along an eligible rural road segment. Note that this program provides federal funds for construction improvements to address safety problems and opportunities ONLY on roadways that are functionally classified as a rural major or minor collector or as a rural local road and have a crash rate that exceeds the statewide average for those functional classes of roadways. (See Attachment F)
Please be sure to review the "Local Safety Program & High Risk Rural Roads Program Guidelines” that contain important changes to this year's solicitation.
Types of Eligible Improvements
Examples of eligible projects for both LSP & HRRRP include, but are not limited to:
- New or upgraded pavement markings;
- Traffic signals and traffic signal upgrades;
- Crosswalks or other pedestrian safety measures;
- Conversion of medians into turning lanes;
- Reflective pole markers;
- Roadway anti-skid treatments
- Removal of fixed object hazards (not including trees)
All proposed projects must document safety concerns and beneficial countermeasures at specific locations in order to be considered eligible. Places with significant safety issues have been identified through regional planning efforts, including NJTPA's Regional Safety Priorities Update Study and the NJDOT derived identification of crash prone locations. These may form the basis for Local Safety Program proposals, and will receive funding priority. Project proposals at other locations will be considered if unsafe conditions are documented and appropriate eligible solutions are proposed.
Funding for both programs is limited only to the construction phase of work, and therefore planning, design and right-of-way acquisition are the responsibility of the sponsor.
Once projects are approved for funding by the NJTPA Board of Trustees, grantees will work directly with the NJDOT Division of Local Aid and Economic Development to fulfill federal project requirements. Successful project sponsors must be aware that although these are reimbursement programs, NO CONSTRUCTION OR ADVERTISING OF THE PROJECT CAN OCCUR UNTIL A FEDERAL AUTHORIZATION IS RECEIVED.
A few key highlights of the two FY2011 programs include:
- Only NJTPA member subregions may apply for these programs (the 13 member counties and the cities of Newark and Jersey City).
- Except for Newark and Jersey City, municipalities located within the NJTPA’s member subregions may apply only by submitting application(s) to their county, for submission by the county.
- Each subregion may submit a total of up to two (2) applications for consideration each year. This total applies cumulatively and includes any submissions made on behalf of municipalities.
- The estimated project cost must be in the range of $75,000 to $500,000 per project.
Applicants should be aware that there are additional administrative requirements that accompany the use of federal funds. For more details on the federal aid process, see the NJDOT web page on Federal Aid .
To Apply for Funding
NJTPA member subregions must submit Six (6) hard copies of both the completed application form, and any supplementary materials to our mailing address (Attn: Christine Mittman), plus an electronic copy either to the email address below or on CD-ROM with the hard copies. Please review the Program Guidelines carefully for additional instructions.
Municipalities (except for Newark and Jersey City) may NOT apply directly to the NJTPA for these programs. Other municipalities must submit any applications and supporting documentation to their county planning or engineering department for submission by the county to either program.
The deadline for submitting all proposals for the FY 2011 will be Monday, February 15, 2010 at 5pm.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Christine Mittman
Project Manager
973-639-8448
cmittman@njtpa.org