North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority

PLAN2O35

Regional Transportation Plan for Northern New Jersey

NORTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AUTHORITY

EXECUT IVES U MM A R Y

The NJTPA

The North Jersey Transportation Planning Author-ity is the federally authorized Metropolitan Plan-ning Organization (MPO) for the 13-county

northern New Jersey region. The federal governmentrequires each urbanized region of the country to estab-lish an MPO to provide local guidance over the use offederal transportation funding and to ensure it is spentcost-effectively to improve mobility, support economicprogress and safeguard the environment.

The NJTPA oversees over $2 billion in transporta-tion investments every year. It analyzes transporta-tion needs, approves proposed transportationimprovement projects and provides a forum for in-teragency cooperation and public input into fundingdecisions. It also sponsors and conducts studies, as-sists county planning agencies and monitors compli-ance with national air quality goals.

The NJTPA serves the fourth most populous MPOregion in the nation, with over 6.7 million peopleand 3.2 million jobs. The 13-county region covers4,200 square miles, which is half the state’s landarea, and includes 384 municipalities.

The NJTPA Board consists of one elected officialfrom each of the region’s 13 counties: Bergen, Essex,Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Mor-ris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, andWarren; and its two largest cities, Newark and Jer-sey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Rep-resentative, the Commissioner of the NJ Department

of Transportation, the Executive Directors of NJTransit and the Port Authority of NY & NJ and aCitizens' Representative appointed by the Governor.

NJTPA Board meetings are held bi-monthly and areopen to the public. The meeting schedule can befound at www.njtpa.org.

Newark

Jersey City

OCEAN

SUSSEX

MORRISWARREN

MONMOUTH

HUNTERDON

BERGEN

SOMERSET

MIDDLESEX

PASSAIC

ESSEX

UNION

HUDSON

Sussex County Freeholder Susan M. Zellman

NJTPA Board of Trustees Meeting, Newark

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • PLAN 2O35 1

For more than two centuries, northern New Jerseyhas adapted to meet the demands of a changingeconomy and a growing population. In the late

19th century, the region evolved from a by-way betweentwo major cities to become a major population centerproducing goods for the nation. Later, with shifts in na-tional and global commerce, it became the East Coast’sfreight distribution hub and the home of office parks,corporate headquarters, world-class educational institu-tions and research facilities.

These changes have occurred in an incredibly diverselandscape that ranges from the famed Jersey Shore tothe rugged hills in the region’s northwest, spanningdense urban centers, wide open suburban townships andrural farming communities. Stitching together this landscape is an extensivetransportation system—an intricate network of roads, rail lines, river crossings,marine channels, walkways and bikeways—which has continually been up-graded and expanded to meet the region’s evolving needs.

Today, the region—like the nation—faces an uncertain and challenging future.A global economic crisis has disrupted a regional economy that generally hasbeen vibrant for much of the last 20 years. The region’s many assets—includingan educated workforce and diversified business sector—remain largely intactand ready to form the foundation for a strong recovery. One of the most essen-tial of these assets is the region’s multi-modal transportation system, developedover more than a century.

With Plan 2035, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA,the federally authorized Metropolitan Planning Organization for this 13-county

region) once againlooks to adapt andshape the transporta-tion network to steerthe region through thenear-term economicdownturn to a positivelong-term future. Theplan also seeks to ad-dress other criticalchallenges over thenext 25 years, includ-

P L A N 2 0 3 5 E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

Madison, Morris County

Metropark, Iselin, Middlesex County

The region’s extensive,multimodal transporta-tion system is a vital eco-nomic asset for the future.

2 PLAN 2O35 • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

ing developing livable communities while coping with climate change, achievinggreater energy efficiency and providing mobility choices for travelers through-out the region.

Foundation

Current uncertainties—economic, environmental and otherwise—make planning25 years ahead more complicated than ever. But today’s choices will guide devel-opment of tomorrow’s transportation system—and doing nothing is not an op-tion. A steady stream of investments must move towards construction inanticipation of future transportation needs. The NJTPA has long-established

goals, shown above, to guideplanning and investment deci-sions.

Failure to address the challengesfacing the region could threatenthe region’s near-term recoveryand long-term vitality. This is es-pecially the case when it comesto climate change—lack ofprogress beginning today couldleave the region, nation andworld facing an unprecedentedenvironmental crisis in years tocome.

Route 3, Passaic County

• Protect and improve the quality of natural ecosystems and the human environment.

• Provide affordable, accessible and dynamic transportation systems respon-sive to current and future customers.

• Retain and increase economic activity and competitiveness.

• Enhance system coordination, efficiency and intermodal connectivity.

• Maintain a safe and reliable transportation system in a state of good repair.

• Select transportation investments that support the coordination of land usewith transportation systems.

NJTPA Goals


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miles

Jersey CityNewark

HUDSON

BERGEN

ESSEX

UNION

Detail Area

Passenger Train StationsPassenger Train LinesInterstates/Toll Roads

County BoundariesWater Features

Ferry Terminals

US/State Highways

LEGEND

The Transportation System in theNJTPA Region


OCEAN

SUSSEX

MORRISWARREN

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HUNTERDON

BERGEN

SOMERSET

MIDDLESEX

PASSAIC

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HUDSON

3-1P

0 5 102.5Miles

LEGENDAdditional People (2010-2035)

1 Dot = 100 Additional People

County Boundaries

Distribution of Forecasted PopulationGrowth

Population: 16% growthJobs: 17% growthVehicle-Miles Traveled: 14-16% increaseTransit Trips: 45-60% increaseFreight Traffic: 100% increaseTraffic Congestion: 44-52% increaseMedian Travel Time: 11-13% increaseAccidents/Crashes: Decline per-capita

Looking Ahead to 2035:Regional Forecasts


Congress has recognized the importance of long-range metropolitan transporta-tion planning for meeting these sorts of challenges and charged MPOs with cre-ating and updating long-range plans like Plan 2035. The NJTPA’s goals andplanning process are fully in keeping with federal guidance.

Developing Plan 2035

Plan 2035 builds on the foundation of the NJTPA’s previous long-range plan,Access & Mobility 2030. For that plan, the NJTPA Board of Trustees devel-oped a strategy for investing future funding available to our region. This Re-gional Capital Investment Strategy and its eight keyprinciples, shown above, remain central to Plan 2035.

In developing Plan 2035, the NJTPA explored new strategiesand projects to achieve these principles in light of changingconditions and the unprecedented challenges facing our re-gion. In doing so, the NJTPA drew upon insights gatheredduring extensive regional outreach, including a wide-ranging“visioning” process. This outreach gathered views fromnearly a thousand individuals in every corner of the regionand called on experts from around the state and nation tolead discussions on key issues. The NJTPA also conductedextensive technical analysis, including forecasting of trendsand conditions and computer modeling of three future trans-portation scenarios. Throughout the development of Plan 2035, the NJTPA’sactive and committed Board of Trustees directed the process.

Visioning workshop, Somerset County

• Promote smart growth rather than continued sprawl.

• Make travel safer and more secure.

• Give highest funding priority to maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure.

• Expand public transit where possible.

• Improve roads but limit capacity expansions.

• Move freight more efficiently.

• Better manage incidents and apply new transportation technologies.

• Support walking and bicycling.

NJTPA Regional Capital Investment Strategies


Plan 2035 thus represents the result of efforts to sys-tematically analyze, assess and prioritize a host of op-tions relating to the future of transportation in theregion. The policies, projects and recommendations itpresents are steps that will help safeguard the region’sfuture.

Transportation Challenges

Over the next 25 years, the region’s transportationsystem will need to serve a population expected togrow to 7.8 million, an increase of 16 percent (1.1million) from 2009. Employment also is projected togrow, reaching 3.7 million, an increase of 17 percent(515,000). At the same time, the transportation sys-tem will continue to serve a diverse and dynamic

economy. Growth may take a somewhat lower trajectory due to the lingeringeffects of the current downturn, but over the next 25 years New Jersey can ex-pect to maintain its position among the nation’s largest state economies. De-spite its small size, New Jersey ranked eighth in Gross State Domestic Productin 2007. And most of the state’s industry and employment is located in the 13counties of the NJTPA region.

The coming decades are sure to see shifts in the nature of employment in the re-gion. In addition to jobs supporting new technologies and “green” industries,experts suggest that higher global transport costs could push new manufactur-ing operations closer to population centers such as northern New Jersey. What-ever form these shifts take, the transportation system will see growing demandssuch as:

• The region’s port, air cargo and distribution facilities will continue to movefreight on a massive scale via roads, rails and waterways;

• The region’s corporate, commercial and industrial facilities—mainly located inmajor cities like Newark and Jersey City, as well as along major roadway corri-dors—will continue to generate travel by millions of people each day, mostlyby car in the suburbs but increasingly by transit in many denser locations;

• Participation in the larger metropolitan economy will require increased com-muting across the Hudson River to and from New York City, nearly all bytransit; and

• Non-work travel by residents and visitors as well as trips by those travelingthrough the state will add further burdens to nearly every transportation fa-cility.

Hoboken Terminal, Hudson County

New Jersey can expect to maintain its positionamong the nation’s largeststate economies.


The NJTPA must prepare to meet these ris-ing demands to avoid exacerbating today’sproblems. These include congested road-ways, safety hazards for drivers and pedes-trians, delays affecting goods deliveries,lack of access to rail and bus services, accel-erating deterioration of the region’s aginginfrastructure and the ongoing effects ofsprawl development.

Effectively responding to these challengeswill depend in large part on the availabilityof transportation funding. And yet fundingtrends will likely follow the lower trajectoryof economic growth itself. In addition,funding mechanisms now relied upon maynot be adequate in the future. In particular,with an increasingly efficient auto fleet, the gasoline tax likely will yield declin-ing revenues if kept in its current form and at current rates. In addition, therewill be a need for a stable funding source for increased transit operations.

Scenario Planning

In creating Plan 2035, the NJTPA considered various levels of funding and in-vestments in three future scenarios:

• A Baseline Scenario that continues current trends and funding levels.

• A Plan 2035 Scenario that includes increased funding and changes to re-gional land use to emphasize smart growth.

• An Aspirational Scenario with substantial funding increases and more exten-sive land use changes.

The Plan 2035 Scenario serves as the federally required, fiscally constrained in-vestment plan for the region. Investments made under this scenario will main-tain and moderately improve the system’s “state of good repair” and improveperformance to cope with increased travel while safeguarding future economicgrowth. Modeling suggests that the investments and strategies under the Plan2035 Scenario can cut average daily vehicle delay by 5 percent, a small but sig-nificant amount given the projected increase in travel demand over comingdecades.

Under the Plan 2035 Scenario, significant additional revenue from current ornew funding sources will be needed to pay for investments. The Plan 2035 Sce-nario calls for a 1.2 percent annual increase in state funding and a 2 percent

Ridgewood, Bergen County

Growth in population andfreight will place heavydemands on the region’sroads and rails.

Continued on Page 10

��

. . . supporting “Complete Streets” throughoutthe regionPlan 2035 encourages road designs and investments that make streetsaccessible and safe for all the region’s residents and travelers, includ-ing pedestrians and bicyclists.

The NJTPA’s Plan 2035 calls for . . .

. . . repairing and maintaining infrastructurePlan 2035’s “fix it first” agenda makes preservation of the region’s ex-isting, heavily used transportation infrastructure the NJTPA’s highest in-vestment priority.

. . . encouraging smart growth and livablecommunitiesUnder Plan 2035, the NJTPA calls for sustainable development thattakes advantage of transit-oriented development, mixed-use centersand walkable neighborhoods to create truly livable communities.

. . . significantly increasing investment in re-gional transportation over the next 25 yearsPlan 2035 calls for increasing transportation investment by approxi-mately 46 percent overall for the next two decades, with fundingdrawn from stable and dedicated state and federal sources to help payfor capital and operations costs.

. . . addressing climate changePlan 2035 sets the NJTPA on course to develop a regional greenhousegas inventory, reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissionsand prepare to adapt the region’s infrastructure to cope with the effectsof climate change.

��

The NJTPA’s Plan 2035 calls for . . .

. . . making all modes of transportation safer and more securePlan 2035 supports a range of safety investments, including improve-ments to interchanges and intersections, rural roads, pedestrian cross-ings, bicycle lanes, ITS and more, as well strategies, technologies andprojects that help increase security on the transportation network andimprove evacuation planning.

. . . facilitating multimodal goods movement to promote economic growthIn Plan 2035, the NJTPA recognizes the importance of freight to the re-gion’s economy and calls for investments and policies that will help theregion handle a projected doubling of cargo with multiple transporta-tion modes, including more efficient truck shipment and a greater rolefor rail, air and marine freight.

. . . dealing with road congestion through targeted investmentsPlan 2035 recognizes the limitations and constraints on building newroads and thus focuses on key system improvements to address prob-lematic or missing interchanges, improve intersections and signaliza-tion systems and install Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technol-ogy while making limited, selective expansions to the road network.

. . . expanding and enhancing public transitPlan 2035 includes construction of the Mass Transit Tunnel under theHudson River, expansion of rail service in the region; improvements tothe region’s bus system through greater service, investments in bus pri-ority treatments and Bus Rapid Transit; and provision of greater accessto transit through shuttles and park-and-rides.


annual increase in federal funding in 2009 dollars. Taking into account an as-sumed inflation rate of 3 percent per year, the needed annual increases wouldbe 4.2 percent in state funding and 5 percent in federal funding.

Total funding would increase from the current level of $2.6 billion per year tomore than $7 billion per year by 2035, yielding $141 billion in inflation-ad-justed dollars over the life of the plan. The Baseline Scenario—which representscontinued “business as usual”—would generate only $92 billion.

In 2009 dollars, these funding assumptions translateinto $91 billion for the Plan 2035 Scenario, comparedto $63 billion for the Baseline Scenario.

Plan 2035 discusses several ways to generate thesesorely needed funds—extending the gas tax, institut-ing a mileage tax, using congestion pricing ap-proaches, increased tolling and other methods.Reaching consensus on how to collect this revenuewill be neither simple nor easy; participants in vision-ing workshops recognized the need for more fundingfor transportation, but they showed little agreementon the options.

Ultimately, the hard choices about how to pay for thePort Newark Channel

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Under the Plan 2035 scenario, state and federal funding would increase slightly greater than therate of inflation. The “bump” from 2010-2017 represents funding for the mass transit tunnel.

Hard choices must bemade to find funding tomeet future investmentneeds.


region’s long-term needs will be made by electedofficials at the state and federal levels in coordina-tion with NJTPA Trustees. Plan 2035 assumes thatnational and state leadership will provide the sup-port needed to safeguard and improve the region’stransportation infrastructure—just as they havedone time and again in the past.

Funding improvements at the levels described inthe Aspirational Scenario would lead to signifi-cantly more progress. This approach would requireincreasing state funding by an average of 7.9 per-cent annually and federal funding by nearly 7 per-cent annually (both well above the assumedinflation rate). It would yield $209 billion in infla-tion-adjusted dollars through 2035. With this funding, maintenance would con-sume a smaller portion of available funds, leaving more resources forexpansions and improvements to the road and rail systems. This would boosttransit trips by 60 percent and cut road delays by 8 percent from current levels.

As the hard choices about future funding are made, the impacts and opportuni-ties under these various scenarios must be seriously considered.

Plan 2035 Scenario—A Realistic Vision

The investment agenda in the Plan 2035 Scenario is guided by the eight invest-ment principles shown on page 5 and works toward making the regional visiona reality. Key initiatives include the following:

Fix it First

Maintenance, preservation and repair of the region’s extensive existing infra-structure is the top priority. Nearly two-thirds of available funding will go to-ward needed maintenance—particularly on the region’s bridges—thataccumulates each year and removing safety hazards where they exist.

Address Road Congestion with Targeted Investment

To handle rising travel demand despite constrained funding, Plan 2035 empha-sizes making the system more efficient. New technologies—Intelligent Trans-portation Systems (ITS) measures—offer great long-term promise for a“smarter” system. In addition, targeted capital projects—such as eliminatingroadway bottlenecks, modernizing traffic signal systems, redesigning intersec-tions, completing partial highway interchanges or creating new park andrides—can make the system more efficient even as demand rises.

Pulaski Skyway, Essex and Hudson counties

Investments in technologyand targeted improve-ments can make roadwaysmore efficient even as de-mand rises.


Among the methods for identifying appropriate areas for improvements, theNJTPA’s Strategy Evaluation process systematically examines needs in the re-gion’s varied “place types,” tying land use to transportation to help identifyneeded projects and strategies. Beyond capital projects, new policies and incen-tives involving the state and the private sector can take advantage of latent ca-pacity in the system—such as by shifting goods movement to off-peak hours.

Even with a more efficient system, the region will need some additional capac-ity to meet rising travel demand. However, at visioning workshops participantsalmost universally recognized that the region cannot build its way out of con-gestion. Building new roads or adding lanes to existing ones is too expensive,the environmental impacts are too great and adding capacity historically hasencouraged more driving and ultimately led to more congestion. For these rea-sons, Plan 2035 recommends very limited road expansion.

Enhance and Expand Rail and BusTransit

Plan 2035 makes enhancing and ex-panding transit a high priority. Addedtransit service brings many benefits byremoving cars from the road, relievingdevelopment pressure on open space,improving air quality, enhancing energyefficiency, encouraging livable communi-ties and reducing greenhouse gas emis-sions. Workshop participantsthroughout the region called for greateraccess to transit, particularly the rail net-work.

Completion of the $8.7 billion MassTransit Tunnel under the Hudson River(slated for 2017) will provide an ex-traordinary boost to regional transit.The tunnel will allow more frequentservice and better connections formany riders, helping the region achievea projected 42 percent increase in tran-sit trips by 2035.

Working with NJ Transit, the NJTPAwill fund additional enhancements tothe transit network. Following comple-

Mass Transit Tunnel(MTT) Project


tion of the tunnel, funding will be available for at least the initial operating seg-ments of several proposed rail expansions. These will have to be carefullyplanned in concert with transit-oriented development and other land use meas-ures to ensure ridership levels meet federal funding requirements for cost-effec-tive operations. A stable source of operating funds at the state and federal levelswill also be needed.

Buses carry the majority of the region’s transit passengers, and an enhanced bussystem must accompany any rail expansion. Over the life of the plan, the regionshould pursue innovative Bus Rapid Transit systems operating along dedicatedand semi-dedicated rights of way. As with the highway network, there will alsobe opportunities to improve the efficiency of the transit network through appli-cation of ITS technologies, new rail signal technology and small-scale targetedprojects.

In addition, the region must con-tinue to look to the non-profit andprivate sectors to provide crucialsupport for the transit and addi-tional alternatives to driving. Inparticular, Transportation Manage-ment Associations offer shuttlebuses for access to the transit net-work as well as ridesharing andother services, many of whichbridge the “last mile” between tran-sit and employment sites. In addi-tion, private bus carriers provideheavily used express buses and theregion’s ferry services provide flexi-ble capacity and routes for com-muter access to New York City.

Encourage Smart Growth andLivable Communities

The greatest long-term gains intransportation efficiency will bemade by modifying land use pat-terns in the region in keeping withsmart growth goals. This will re-quire a steady shift away from theauto-oriented sprawl of the past.

Go Bus, Newark

Morristown Station, Morris County

Improved mass transitcan help create more liv-able and sustainablecommunities.


Plan 2035 encourages communities to pursue sustainable development thatwill reduce fiscal, environmental and other impacts. The plan recognizes thatmore compact development—especially if it provides and supports options fortransit use and better accommodates walking and bicycling—significantly re-duces greenhouse gas emissions, uses energy more efficiently and reduces tripdistances and the need for driving. All of these factors make for more livablecommunities.

During Plan 2035 outreach, the public voiced general support for smartgrowth measures, including higher density development and a greater mix of

land uses. At the same time, however,there were concerns that certain changesmight drastically alter the character ofcommunities. Nevertheless, the regionmust make continued, measured and deci-sive progress towards smart growth in theyears to come.

Smart growth also encompasses environ-mental protection. Plan 2035 seeks to pre-serve open space and natural resources inways that are consistent with the region’seconomic health. This includes workingwith regional development agenciescharged with stewardship of natural re-sources including the Highlands Council,the Meadowlands Commission and thePinelands Commission, ensuring wise andbalanced investments.

Address Climate Change and EnergyEfficiency

Transportation represents the largest singlesource of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsin New Jersey, accounting for more than athird of the state’s total emissions. Newvehicle technologies and a switch to alter-native fuels may reduce greenhouse gasemissions substantially over the next 25years, but at the same time the region mustwork to reduce the miles of vehicle travel.In Plan 2035, the NJTPA has strengthened

OCEAN

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Map 7-2Place Types

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County Boundaries

Place Types

Recognizing that northern New Jersey is a diverse region with varying land uses and fea-tures, the NJTPA uses a system of “Place Types” to help identify investments that willboth support appropriate development and best address mobility needs.


its investment principles to in-clude a commitment to workingto meet the requirements of thestate’s Global Warming ResponseAct. This will prepare the regionto address emerging federal re-quirements on greenhouse gases.

Yet even as steps are taken to re-duce greenhouse gas emissions, itis expected that the region’s in-frastructure may soon face theimpacts of climate change. Ris-ing sea levels and more severeweather could mean that bridges, roads and other infrastructure—much of italong critical evacuation routes—will suffer increased flooding and deteriora-tion. Some infrastructure may need to be adapted or rebuilt to withstand theimpacts of climate change. The NJTPA’s commitment to planning for climatechange will help address these issues.

Closely related to the challenge of climate change is the need to improve the re-gion’s energy efficiency, including reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The briefyet intense spike in gasoline prices in 2008 gave the public a glimpse of the dis-ruptions and hardships that can result from higher oil prices if greater energyefficiency is not achieved.

New Jersey has established a goalof meeting 20 percent of thestate’s energy needs through en-ergy efficiency and conservationgains by 2020. Plan 2035 is com-mitted to supporting that goalwithin the transportation sectorthrough measures such as promo-tion of smart growth, increasedtransit investments and prioritiza-tion of investments that encour-age energy efficiency.

Clinton Reservoir, Highlands Region, Passaic County

Green Village, Morris County

Plan 2035 looks to re-duce greenhouse gasesand prepare for the pos-sible impacts of climatechange.


The Future

With a view to the lessons of the past and with wide input from the region’sresidents and officials, Plan 2035 charts a realistic, achievable course throughthe current economic uncertainties toward renewed growth and progress. Themarketplace ultimately will determine the shape of the region’s economy overthe next 25 years. Yet, as has long been the case, transportation infrastructurewill provide the crucial foundation that allows the region’s businesses, citizensand communities to pursue new opportunities.

The transportation investments and policies in Plan2035 offer the prospect of many benefits over the next25 years: a broad-based and sustainable economic re-covery; more energy efficient development in cities,towns and suburbs; support for new technologies andpractices that will help meet the challenges of climatechange; new employment in green industries; protectedenvironmental resources, and many others.

One critical key to all these benefits will be the exten-sive and adaptable transportation system that for cen-turies has been one of northern New Jersey’s most vitaleconomic assets. Implementation of Plan 2035 will seethat it remains so far into the future.Interstate Route 78, Somerset County

This publication is financed by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The NJTPA is solely responsible for its contents.

Photo Credits: Bill Wittkop: pp. 1, 7, 8 (1st, 3rd), 9 (1st, 3rd, 4th), 10, 13 (top), 15 (bot-tom); Dwight Hiscano: pp. 2, 8 (2nd,5th), 11, 15 (top), 16; Stokes Advertising: pp. 5, 9(2nd); Michael Rosenthal/NJ Transit: pp. 6, 13 (bottom) Stuart Ramson: inside cover.

Plan 2035 was Adopted August 2009

North Jersey TransportationPlanning Authority, Inc.

One Newark Center, 17th FloorNewark, New Jersey 07102

Tel: 973 639 8400 • Fax: 973 639 1953www.njtpa.org

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North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority