The NJTPA Board of Trustees, at its May 11 meeting, approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Project Development Work Program (PDWP) for northern and central New Jersey. The PDWP—one of the most important elements in the NJTPA’s transportation planning process—is a list of scheduled transportation improvements undergoing study and preparation for future funding consideration. The program for the upcoming year contains 129 projects—114 sponsored by the state and 15 with local sponsors.
The PDWP features 14 projects that were not in last year’s program. The new projects range from drainage upgrades to studies of heavily traveled corridors to bridge replacements; but the program also features projects to enhance pedestrian travel and safety, as well as a wide range of operational improvements. Also, 25 projects from last year’s program have since “graduated” and advanced to the NJTPA’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), to be approved in August.
“The PDWP is where potential projects are analyzed, developed and fine-tuned until they are ready for funding and construction,” said NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman, a Sussex County Freeholder. “It’s a fundamental part of making sure we use federal funding to address our region’s needs as effectively as possible.”
The PDWP is carefully synchronized with the goals and priorities in the NJTPA’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which is currently being updated. A sampling of FY 2010 PDWP projects includes:
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The NJTPA Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Project Development Work Program (PDWP) at its May 11 meeting. |
- Recommended interchange improvements at Routes 80 and 15 in Morris County.
- Congestion relief along Route 9 in Toms River and Lakewood, Ocean County.
- Extension of Routes 1&9T in Jersey City, Hudson County.
- Options for improving mobility along the I-78 Corridor in Union County.
“This year’s PDWP is also very much a cooperative effort; it shows the results of a lot of discussion and consultation between the NJTPA and its subregions, along with NJDOT and NJ Transit,” said Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, who chairs the NJTPA’s Planning and Economic Development Committee.
The stages of project development in the PDWP—Concept Development, Feasibility Assessment and Preliminary Design—see a project through from conception to a point where they can be considered candidates for funding through the TIP.
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NJ Transit Executive Director and NJTPA Board member Richard Sarles addresses the crowd at a June 8 groundbreaking ceremony for a new rail tunnel that will extend from Hudson County to Manhattan. |
NJTPA representatives joined federal, state and local leaders at a June 8 ceremony to break ground on the nation’s largest new public works project, an $8.7 billion mass transit tunnel beneath the Hudson River.
“This is a great day for commuters throughout the region,” said Bergen County Executive and NJTPA First Vice-Chairman Dennis McNerney, who attended the event in North Bergen, Hudson County. “The new tunnel is the NJTPA’s highest-priority project, and we’re thrilled that it’s finally becoming a reality.”
The Mass Transit Tunnel (MTT) project—also known as Access to the Region’s Core (ARC)—is expected to generate and sustain 6,000 jobs through the construction phase of the tunnel, the expansion of New York Penn Station, and other related elements. The tunnel will stretch nearly 9 miles and is expected to take about eight years to construct.
The MTT is expected to double the number of commuters that can take the train between New Jersey and Manhattan during peak rush hours. Currently, trains coming in and out of New York City rely on a pair of congested tracks built in 1910.
“The Mass Transit Tunnel will give more access across the state to our rail system with better capacity, enhanced reliability and fewer transfers to major destinations in New Jersey and New York,” said NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles, also a member of the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “It delivers better rail service for more and improves the quality of life for our travelers.”
“Transit is a crucial part of our transportation network and this project will reduce roadway congestion, taking 22,000 cars off our roadways and prevent 67,000 tons of greenhouse gases from polluting our environment,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJTPA Board member Stephen Dilts.
Federal stimulus funding will supplement a $1.35 billion federal financing package for the early phases of the tunnel project.
Fifteen years of study starting with 137 project alternatives, numerous public meetings and other input produced the finished plan. The project has been designed to allow for expansion in Manhattan to the east in the future as conditions and funding permit.
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The NJTPA Board of Trustees on May 11 endorsed the NJDOT’s FY 2010 Capital Construction Program (CCP), a $3.6 billion investment plan that will help modernize the state’s transportation network and create jobs.
The CCP outlines the capital investments planned by the NJDOT and NJ Transit for the state fiscal year beginning on July 1, and will form the basis for development of the NJTPA’s federally required Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
Through its endorsement, the NJTPA Board informed the state Legislature that it supports the projects in the CCP and believes they represent a balanced program of investments. The CCP, which includes funding estimates for fiscal years 2010 through 2019, was coordinated with the 15 counties and cities represented on the NJTPA Board.
In addition to road, highway and bridge projects, the CCP includes funding for a number of NJ Transit projects.
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Port Authority of NY & NJ First Deputy Executive Director Susan Bass Levin outlined a $3 billion, 10-year plan to modernize the PATH rail system during a May 11 presentation to the NJTPA Board of Trustees.
Once known as the “Hudson Tubes,” the PATH started as a privately owned line in 1908. Bass Levin said some of the PATH’s features, including cars that have been in use since 1965, are in great need of replacement. The PATH recently debuted some of its new cars, which are more comfortable, energy-efficient and safer than their predecessors, she said.
The plan will create a new World Trade Center Transportation Hub, longer platforms on the Newark to World Trade Center line, better signals, an improved public address system and a major upgrade to the Harrison station. The improved PATH will accommodate 20 percent more riders between New Jersey and Manhattan.
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NJTPA freight planners on May 13 were among those participating in a “Safety Workshop Train” tour sponsored by New Jersey's Operation Lifesaver, a national non-profit public safety education organization and Norfolk Southern Corp. Workshop participants, pictured above preparing to board vintage train cars, focused on successful public awareness strategies aimed at eliminating fatalities and injuries at highway-rail intersections. The train tour traveled along the major freight railroad corridor through Somerset, Union, and Essex counties. |
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Members of the NJTPA Board of Trustees and Central Staff participated in the state’s annual transportation conference, known as TransAction. The 33rd annual conference, co-sponsored by the NJTPA, was held May 13-15 in Atlantic City. Workshop sessions covered issues ranging from federal stimulus funding for transportation projects, freight initiatives, and climate change, to name a few.
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NJTPA Freight Initiatives Committee Chairman Peter S. Palmer, center, with NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy, right, and Assemblyman John Wisneiwski. |
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NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman speaks with NJTPA Deputy Executive Director Cliff Sobel, centr, and NJTPA Public Relations Manager David Behrend between workshop sessions. |
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NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy, second from right, moderated a workshop spotlighting The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Panelists included, from lift, David Kuhn, NJDOT; Peter Garino, NJ Transit; and Dennis Merida, Federal Highway Administration. |
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Chairman Susan Zellman, left, moderated a VIP roundtable focusing on transportation planning and financing. Panelists included, from left |
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NJTPA Second-Vice Chairman Gene F. Feyl talks with Susan Bass Levin after one of the panel sessions. |
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Chairman Zellman moderates the VIP session. |
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The NJTPA continues working to advance key northern New Jersey transportation projects to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). At its May 11 meeting, the NJTPA Board approved a set of milestones to ensure that all ARRA-funded projects, including the new Mass Transit Tunnel, progress according to deadlines set by Congress. The move could also place New Jersey at the top of the list if additional stimulus funds become available.
For information on stimulus-funded transportation projects, visit www.njtpa.org, then scroll down and click on the “Stimulus Projects Approved for Northern New Jersey” link beneath the “Featured Programs” heading.
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The NJTPA Board of Trustees voted May 11 to commit $1.8 million to retrofit a pair of switch yard locomotives at Port Newark/Port Elizabeth with cleaner, more efficient engines. Funds will come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program, which supports projects that help reduce pollution from burning fossil fuels.
Switch yard locomotives, or “switchers,” are used to assemble or disassemble trains, and move rail cars around yards for short distances at low speeds. The revamped diesel locomotives will significantly exceed emissions standards required by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is estimated that the switchers will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, ozone pollutants by 86 percent and particulate emissions by 74 percent, while lowering fuel use, noise emissions and maintenance costs.
The equipment is being purchased and installed through a $3 million public-private partnership between the NJTPA, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and Conrail.
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NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman, second from right, participates with NJDOT Commissioner Stephen Dilts, third from right, in a June 1 ceremonial ribbon cutting at the intersection of Route 15, Wilson Drive, and Lake Road in Sparta, Sussex County. The $2.3 million project reconstructed the busy intersection to improve safety and mobility. Also pictured, from left, State Senator Steven Oroho, Assemblywoman Alison McHose, Sparta Mayor Brian Brady, and Sussex County Freeholder Director Glen Vetrano. |
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Warren County Freeholder
Angelo Accetturo |
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North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Inc.
One Newark Center, 17th Floor. Newark, NJ 07102
(201) 639-8400; Fax 639-1953
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