North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Seeking Public Input on the Future of Transportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2025 Contact: Melissa Hayes, NJTPA Senior Director of Communications & External Affairs
[email protected] or (972) 639-8438

North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Seeking Public Input on the Future of Transportation

How do you see yourself getting around in the future? Would you consider driving an electric vehicle or riding in a self-driving car or shuttle? Are there regional transportation projects that you want prioritized for funding?

These are some of the questions the public will be asked as Monmouth County works with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) on the region's next long-range transportation plan, Connecting Communities. The plan will detail new programs and recommend policies and transportation investments for the next 25 years, including projects in Monmouth County.

The NJTPA region includes 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey and is home to 7 million people, with the population expected to hit 7.8 million in 2050. The NJTPA works with local partners and state agencies to provide more than $3 billion in transportation investments annually. In order for the region to be eligible to receive federal transportation funds for programs and projects, the NJTPA must adopt a long-range transportation plan every four years.

"Working with the NJTPA, Monmouth County has secured hundreds of millions of dollars to replace bridges in poor condition, construct safety improvements on our roads, and conduct planning work to improve mobility and identify barriers to travel," said Monmouth County Commissioner Thomas A. Arnone, who represents the county on the NJTPA Board of Trustees. "I encourage our residents to share their ideas and transportation needs with the NJTPA so we can continue this great work and develop a long-range plan for the region that meets the needs of our communities."

The NJTPA has approved funding for several projects in Monmouth County, including $107.5 million for construction of a new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, which will be completed this year. The NJTPA has also approved funding for the replacement of the Old-Bridge Matawan Road Bridge in Matawan Borough and Aberdeen Township and the Corlies Avenue Bridge in the Borough of Allenhurst and Township of Ocean. Those projects are in the local preliminary engineering phase. In addition, through the NJTPA, Monmouth County is exploring options to address congestion and reduce crashes along the County Route 3 corridor from Devon Drive to Kensington Drive in Manalapan Township. And, last year the county completed the Monmouth PATHS: Access for All planning study, funded by the NJTPA, that identified and developed measures to mitigate barriers to mobility of all types including improving public awareness of travel options, infrastructure improvements, and policy changes.

Public input plays a critical role in the plan. The feedback the NJTPA gathers through an online survey and events will be considered and incorporated into the plan, which the NJTPA Board of Trustees is expected to adopt in September. Everyone who lives in the NJTPA region is encouraged to participate.

The survey is available in six languages - English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Chinese and Korean. Virtual public outreach will begin later this month with a Let's Talk Transportation event on January 28 at 11:30 a.m. focused on creating a safe biking and walking transportation network.

The NJTPA will also be conducting pop-up outreach at events throughout the region this spring. To share your ideas, interests, and concerns about the future of transportation in northern and central New Jersey, please take the NJTPA's brief survey and sign up for virtual events at the Connecting Communities website: njtpa.org/connecting .

The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties. Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region's current and future transportation needs. It establishes the region's eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.

The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the 13 counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren), and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor's Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of NJ Transit, the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizen's Representative appointed by the Governor.

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