The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board of Trustees has approved a $240,000 federal grant for Union County to complete an update of its County Transportation Plan.
The plan will reflect the significant changes in the local and regional transportation system since the previous update in 2002. The new document will reflect emerging trends affecting the County and region, including consideration of the County’s need to adapt to climate change, foster sustainability, support economic activity in town centers, and protect and enhance the natural and built environment.
“The County Transportation Plan should be updated regularly so it properly reflects the realities on the ground, like recent infrastructure projects and changes in how and where people are traveling,” said Freeholder Angel Estrada, who also serves as Second Vice Chair of the NJTPA Board. “We appreciate the grant funding from the NJTPA, which will help offset the cost of this important study.”
A public participation plan will be established at the beginning of the study to generate input from residents, local governments and other stakeholders. The study is expected to span approximately 24 months.
The plan update is one of five county- and city-led studies that were approved for funding at Monday’s NJTPA Board of Trustees meeting. The study is projected to cost $300,000, which will be paid for through the $240,000 NJTPA grant and $60,000 from a local match. Funding for the project will begin on July 1.
The effort is part of the NJTPA’s Subregional Studies Program, which provides two-year grants on a competitive basis to the 13 counties and two cities represented by the NJTPA Board. The program is designed to help counties and cities develop transportation improvement strategies established in the NJTPA’s Regional Transportation Plan.
Further details on the study are available on the NJTPA website at http://www.njtpa.org/Planning/Subregional-Planning/Studies.aspx.
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 and the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.