The NJTPA Board of Trustees will consider three key documents for final adoption at its September meeting — the
Long Range Transportation Plan,
Transportation Improvement Program and
Air Quality Conformity Determination.
The Board’s Planning and Economic Development Committee approved the draft long-range plan,
Plan 2050: Transportation, People, Opportunity, at the joint committee meeting Monday. At the same meeting, the Project Prioritization Committee approved the draft FY 2022-2025 Transportation Improvement Program and accompanying Air Quality Conformity Determination.
The documents will be on the agenda for the Board’s September 13 meeting.
All three documents – along with the
State Transportation Improvement Program – underwent a formal public comment period from July 6 to August 4, including a well-attended public meeting. More than 100 individuals and organizations commented on the documents at the meeting or through submissions. Summaries of the public comments and NJTPA’s responses are posted on the
Plan 2050 webpage along with the full text comments.
Plan 2050 was developed with extensive public engagement. More than 2,000 people provided input during its development through surveys, phone calls, virtual public events and focus groups aimed at engaging underserved populations. Plan 2050 looks toward an economic recovery over the next five to 10 years. By 2050, the region’s population is projected to grow by 15 percent to 7.7 million, vehicle miles of travel will grow by 11 percent and freight movement will grow by 16 percent. Among the priorities in the plan:
- Safety — Reducing crashes and ensuring the safety of all travelers must continue to be a primary focus across all policies, programs and investment.
- Accessibility — The region’s planning must continue to shift its focus away from moving vehicles to one of accessibility – that is, using a variety of modes to give people convenient and affordable access to jobs, education and other opportunities.
- Equity —The transportation system must more fully address the needs of low-income and minority communities, which have been traditionally underserved.
- Roads & Bridges — Fix it first is the priority to reduce the backlog of needed road and bridge improvements and upgrade facilities while also preparing infrastructure for climate change impacts.
- Transit — Improving transit is a key to solving some of the most difficult challenges but increased funding and more stable funding mechanisms are needed. The Hudson River tunnel project and the larger Gateway project are NJTPA’s top transit investment priorities.
- Active Transportation — Improve connectivity between neighborhoods and key destinations, especially in places with schools, high transit use and lower incomes.
- Climate Change — Support climate change policies and initiatives of the State of New Jersey – captured in the NJDEP’s October 2020 Global Warming Response Act 80x50 Report
- Transportation Technologies — Support transportation technology applications and guide the region in their use.
- Freight — Address existing freight infrastructure needs and prepare for growth in overall freight volume by 2050 as well as the challenges of e-commerce.
- Environment – A separate Environment chapter highlights the importance of efforts in the areas of air quality, climate change and environmental mitigation.
- Financial Element – The plan offers a fiscally constrained financial plan based on realistic projects along with scenarios addressing more limited or additional funding.