Southern New Jersey (South Jersey Transportation PlanningOrganization)

7/28/2019 Southern New Jersey (South Jersey Transportation PlanningOrganization)

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Jason Boothe

Geog 393

Goodman

Southern New Jersey(South Jersey Transportation Planning

Organization)


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Introduction

The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) is the

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) serving a four county region of southern

New Jersey (Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem). SJTPO was formed in 1993

from a merger of several existing MPOs in the region.

The region served by the SJTPO is comprised of 68 municipalities in the four

counties. Total land area of the region is approximately 1,778 square miles,

representing about 20% of the total land area of the state of New Jersey. However

the region only contains less then 7% of the total population of the State. This

portion of the state is considered to be more rural in characteristic. Due to this

characteristic and the diffusion of the population, car ownership rates in this prat of

the state tend to be higher then the state average and are seen to be nearly stable

during the term of the plan. From 2007 to 2035 the population is projected increase

some 20% with employment to increase by nearly 25%.

Major existing transportation infrastructure in the region includes, roadways

such as I-295, New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City

Expressway, US routes 9, 30, 40, 130, 322, and New Jersey State routes 45, 47, 49,

50, 55, as well as numerous bridges. An airport with international facilities (Atlantic

City International), as well as several smaller municipal/general aviation airports.

Passenger rail provided by NJ Transit on the Atlantic City Line (Atlantic City

Philadelphia), a small amount of freight traffic is in the area as well. A

passenger/vehicle ferry terminal at Cape May. Transit offerings in the region are


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limited but are provided by NJ Transit as well as via municipal Jitney services in

municipalities like Atlantic City.

The SJTPO transportation plan, which projects its goal to the year 2035, was

adopted in July 2008 with a revision in November 2010. The plan lays out the

transportation strategy for Southern New Jersey as proposed by the SJTPO with

goals focusing on the maintenance and improvement of transportation systems in

the region, as well as related goals, all of which are designed to boost and support

the regions economy.


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Existing and Projected Travel and Mobility Conditions

The existing plan gives an overview of the transportation issues in the

Southern New Jersey both current and project going forward to the year 2035. Some

of the current issues are identified in the Transportation Improvement Program, a

collaborative program with NJDOT. This program is however financially constrained

and is generally limited to smaller improvements, such as road resurfacing and

interchange improvements. Most of these projects have already been funded or are

in the preliminary funding stages, but yet are included in as pert of the short-term

outlook for the plan.

Combinations of forecasted and current road transportation issues are

placed in the Congestion Management and Regional Corridor Improvements section

of the plan. Much of this portion plan deals with the major arterials that run threw

the region, including the Garden State Parkway/US9, US 40/322, and the NJ 55

Corridor. Issues address range from seasonal flows in traffic (particularly around

the peak tourists season), new development (with smart growth land use ideas for

traffic mitigation), evacuation routs, and general regional mobility concerns. Of

particular concerns are bridges (in which the SJTPO doesnt believe that significant

progress has been made), and Safety and Security (particularly in the evacuation of

costal areas and capacity issues on evacuation routes. These issues also play a factor

in the Tourism section, where the SJTPO identifies congestion, connectivity, and

way-finding on the regions roads as being caused by or problems associated with

tourism. Tourism is the major economic engine for the Southern New Jersey region


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Transit also plays a significant role in the mobility concerns of the region.

While transit options are available in all of the counties in the region it is general

limited due to the low population density. Most of the transit in the region is

concreted in Atlantic County and specifically Atlantic City. In most of the rest of the

region transit consists of long distance commuter bus and rail, as well as some local

bus/shuttle/jitneys run by a variety of different agencies and organizations. The

region also has a number of park and ride locations (both official and unofficial). The

SJTPO sees an increase in transit options as a necessity moving forward and has

proposed several solutions and studies. Among the studies and solutions is a South

Jersey Regional Rail System, extension of PATCO into the region, possibility of BRT

opportunities, as well as an increase in local service either by municipalities or NJ

Transit.

Intermodal issues also play a role in the transportation issues in Southern

New Jersey. Freight traffic on roads plays a significant factor in the economics of

region. With truck traffic projected to increase there is concern that the existing

infrastructure my not be capable of handling the increase. Issues such as height

restrictions on rail crossings, rail and road chokepoints, and inefficiencies of freight

movement are identified in the plan. Ports are also identified in the plan for

improvements, particularly dredging and facilities improvements.

Pedestrian mobility is the final issues that the SJTPO addresses. SJTPO

identifies that many municipalities are increasing pedestrian mobility (including

bicycle and in new development as well as retrofitting existing development. They

do also express the reform of land use policies to continue to promote pedestrian


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opportunities, as well as identify exiting areas in which improvements can be made

(such as new sidewalks and bike lanes in Atlantic County). To implement

pedestrian/bike improvements, the SJTPO looking to support efforts by counties to

advance bicycle and pedestrian project, work with NJDOT to maximize multimodal

usage of new facilities., to provide ways to increase foot/bike traffic for both tourist

and non-tourist travel in the region, assist in system assessment and

planning/design standards between the counties and NJDOT/NJ Transit, and

develop promotional and marketing initiatives.


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Performance Indicators

The strategy for roadways in Southern New Jersey is to reduce congestion.

Road congestion is forecasted using modeling reported by the New Jersey

Congestion Management System (NJCMS), the South Jersey Congestion Management

System (SJCMS), and the South Jersey Travel Demand Model (SJTDM). Roadways are

graded based upon from the models and a volume to capacity ratio for each area.

The obvious perfect metric would be no congestion or low congestion during peak

travel times. To come up with the optimal solution a no build/build strategy is

employed, using different build strategies depending on the roadway, moderate or

heavy facilities depending on the results from the model. Based on significant

difference the no build/build scenarios for the specific variables (when looking at

Vehicle Miles Traveled, Vehicle Hours Traveled and Trips, a recommendation of a

build or no build will be given. From there the employment of mitigation will be

made, from several fronts, such land use planning, carpool, transit, pedestrian

enhancements, and or improvements to the highway. It should be noted that

seasonal traffic patterns are also taken in as a factor for congestion analysis.

Evacuation routes are done much the same way as road congestion, but with

emphasis more so on time (both duration and time of day) to reach a district

classified as a safe area. With this the SJTPO is looking at potential bottlenecks in

the evacuation process, and where found looks at either was to increase capacity or

to re-route to an alternative route. That data from current analysis is lead to the

recommendation by SJTPO for the completion of NJ 55 from its current terminus in

Cumberland County to US 9/GSP in Cape May County.


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SJTPO takes a different approach to transit issues in the region. While it has

taken a look at a number of long-term solutions, it doesnt expect (due to the current

funding issues) to have many or any of these. So it has put an emphasis more so

local transit and making sure that areas are covered. In the plan though they

mention no metric in defining where service should be placed and what that level of

service should be. Instead the SJTPO by county, uses a more observational approach

based partially on an environmental justice model. Areas of each county were listed

that have a lack of transit options as well as recommendations for how transit can

be improved.

For Pedestrian/bike transportation the SJTPO has a set of 5 criteria to

measure performance. They include criteria for design, promotion of

pedestrian/bike activities (particularly when a road project is involved),

preferential treatment of pedestrian/bike traffic versus motor vehicle traffic in

designs. Several project have been identified for improvements to pedestrian

mobility by the SJTPO, however most of the long range focus in the is in the

enhancement of new development with pedestrian access that would exceed what

would be available now. Of particular interest is the promotion of cycling by SJTPO

and the conclusion that cycling is an underused form a transportation mobility in

the region, but specifically in its impacts to the tourist sector. The ideal situation

would be for success would be a general increase in walking/cycling as a form of

transportation, but would also be takes in a general increase in the accessibility of

walking/cycling to the region.


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In terms of multimodal transportation, primarily the movement of freight via

roads, rails, ships, and air, the performance indicators are fairly simple. SJTPO, using

findings in the New Jersey Comprehensive Freight Plan, is looking to more

efficiently promote the movement of freight in the region by a variety of means,

particularly in the movement of freight to and from the region. In particular thy seek

ways to increase the amount of freight being shipped by rail as opposed to road

(which has a negative impact on the regions congestion).


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Recommended Capital and Operational Strategies

In terms of strategies going forward, the SJTPO take s a cautious and almost

benign approach to transportation improvements. The reason so is threefold, first, is

the determination that most of the transportation infrastructure is in place for the

region, second are the current funding restraints that make the selection of projects

nearly impossible to do, third is that some of the issues that effect transportation in

the region are located outside of the region covered by the SJTPO (such as the Delair

Bridge). Ultimately, even with these restraints, the goal of the SJTPO is to improve

mobility in the region. As such there are specific ways they are seeking to do this but

for the most part they have taken a generalized approach.

In terms of roads, the pressing issues are congestion and safety. By using the

performance indicators the SJTPO recommends a number of different strategies to

achieve their goals. Among the strategies, are roadway widening, implementation of

intelligent traffic systems, and intersection reconstruction. Many of these same

strategies also play a factor in making the regions roadways safer as well. The SJTPO

doesnt make any recommendations for new road construction when talking about

congestion or safety; but does make it for (the extension of NJ 55) a more efficient

and effective evacuation route from southern Cape May County.

As stated in the performance indicators, the SJTPO has found a number of

areas in which transit access is lacking, particularly for identified segments of the

population. Strategies for improving including additional service to those areas

identified as lacking. In the log term the SJTPO would also like to conduct a study of


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a regional rail system for Southern New Jersey as well as looking to PATCO to

extend their service into the region.

Several pedestrian and bike projects are identified in the plan as having been

completed. The plan recommends strategies going forward in regards to increasing

access to pedestrians and cyclists not only for new development but existing

development and redevelopment. The plan also recognizes the impact that these

improvements have for the tourism sector, the largest industry by far in the region.

The plan also spends time examine and making recommendations for the

Cumberland County Bike Plan, a plan that has been partially funded but is still in the

design phase. While it doesnt name routes specifically that it would recommend, it

does put for ideas on how routes should be selected as well as their composition.

In terms of intermodal improvements, the major goal of the plan seems to be

to seek to increase the amount of freight shipped into and out of the region by rail.

The plan makes recommendations to press for studies regarding the Delair Bridge

(either to increase capacity or the possibility of an alternative). It also recommends

seeking ways to increase multimodal shipping access for the business in the region,

i.e. truck to rail. Plan makes specific recommendations for ports in the area, naming

improvements for several, mostly in the areas of dredging and wharf improvements.

Air transport is curiously downplayed in the plan.

While the plan does name a number of small projects and makes number of

recommendations, it fails in naming specifics. For the most part most of the

improvements named in the plan are tied to additional study. This could be because

of the funding restraints identified in the plan.


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Cost and Revenue Requirements

Generally transportation projects are funded via the New Jersey

Transportation Trust Fund. The fund is capitalized via proceeds from, sale of bonds,

motor fuel taxes, General Fund appropriations, and monies from the toll road

authorities. While the SJTPO assumes the Trust Fund to be a stable source for

financing transportation projects in the plan through the 2035 horizon, the State of

New Jersey has yet to identify a long term funding source required to meet the

projected needs of the Trust Fund. As such, specific transportation investments

cannot be identified outside of those that have already been funded or are in

preliminary stages of funding. With this being the case, and given that the majority

of the regions transportation infrastructure is already in place, the SJTPO

recommends that funding received and requested be primarily targeted to

maintenance and improvements of existing transportation facilities. As such the

deferring of maintenance should end to preserve the safety of the existing

transportation network and to mitigate future costs.


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Critical Issues

In reference to the Critical Issues report, the SJTPO plan makes reference to

several of the points in the report but not all of them. The two issues that I found no

mention of were Institutions and Human and Intellectual Capital. While institutions

are mentioned in the plan (those revolving around Tourism), not of them would

mismatch from the plan outlines and the needs of the region. Investment in

innovation makes no mention at all in the plan.

A couple of other areas are basically glossed over. Or barley mentioned in the

plan. Environmentally, the plan mentions no specifics about climate change. The

plan does however acknowledge that the region is susceptible to a hurricane, but

only to the point that it believes the evacuation situation is inadequate. There are

mentions of smart growth as well, but not from an environmental standpoint. The

plan also looks at air quality conformity when discussing congestion management.

The plan does state however that care should be take to preserve areas of natural

settings, but it does this in a way to promote tourism.

Equity is another area in which the plan makes mention of but does not go in

depth. Primary the questions of equity come into the ability of residents to have

access to transportation, specifically transit services. The plan does this under the

banner of environmental justice, and specifically targets 4 groups; the elderly, zero

vehicle households, disable persons, and persons of limited English proficiency.

While the plan seeks to increase transit opportunities to these groups, it does not

mention specifics only some general ideas.


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Finance is one of the more mentioned in the plan. Because of the manner in

which transportation funding is set up in New Jersey, and the both the amount of

transportation funding the region would receive and the solvency of the

Transportation Trust Fund cannot be determine, the SJTPO has in all essence

thrown in the towel in regards to making projections, in other words signaling that

funding is insufficient. The only recommendation the SJTPO makes in regards to

finances is that and funding received be directed to maintenance and improvement

of existing transportation structures, but states no projections or recommendations

as to which projects should be funded or their costs.

The final four points of the report make up the crux of the SJTPO plan. In

essence this is a plan about the infrastructure of the transportation network of

Southern New Jersey. While its not particularly enormous, it is aging, and that is

addressed in this plan. Because of the aging of the network, the plan mentions

necessity of repair and improvement of the existing network to not only meet the

transportation needs currently but of the future. It further goes on to reinforce this

idea in stating that finances should go to maintenance of the network and that the

maintenance should no longer be deferred.

Congestion also plays a part, more so the identification of areas in which

seasonal traffic causes congestion issues. The plan identifies a number of areas in

which congestion plays an issue, but doesnt mention specifics into how it can be

mitigated, except for a couple of areas. Congestion in the region is mostly on roads,

but when the plan looks intermodal and sees areas of concern in the movement of

freight not only on roads but also in rail, and the apparent bottleneck of rail service


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into Southern New Jersey. For both it gives suggestions for further studies and

recommendations (bridge heights for rail, better traffic management for roads).

For the purpose of the plan both the Emergency Preparedness and Safety are

combined. The Emergency Preparedness in the plan focuses two factors, hurricanes

and a nuclear disaster (Salem County contains a Nuclear Power site), the evacuation

plans for both. The plan has forecasted potential bottlenecks in evacuations of areas

of the coast if a storm were to approach during height of the tourist season. The

solution, per the plan, is a capacity increase gained via a new build (the only new

build in the plan), but the build is not specifically for this reason. With the issues of

Safety, these issues are normally found and address via the Road Safety audit.

Normally the issues that are identified are low cost and quick turnaround

improvements. The SJTPO also recommends the continued evaluation of laws

(particularly now with emphasis for pedestrian safety) and enforcement of existing

laws.

Documents

Southern New Jersey (South Jersey Transportation PlanningOrganization)