Essex County, NJTPA Partner On Long-Term Transportation Plan

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch Essex County community member. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. announced that Essex County is partnering with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) to develop 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 Essex County.

Residents can take the survey and sign up for other outreach events regarding the survey by visiting njtpa.org/connecting.

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 in the survey.

“Essex County has worked closely with the NJTPA to secure millions in federal funding for critical safety improvement and bridge replacement projects,” said DiVincenzo, who represents Essex on the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “We look forward to continuing this work and I encourage residents to take the survey and provide input so the NJTPA can create a long-range plan that meets the future transportation needs of our communities,” he added.

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.

The NJTPA has approved funding for several projects in Essex County, including studies that explored options for replacing or rehabilitating the Kingsland Avenue Bridge in Nutley and the Bridge Street Bridge in Newark. Both of those studies recommended bridge replacements, and the NJTPA has approved federal funding for design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of new bridges. In addition, the NJTPA Board has approved funding millions of dollars in safety improvements across the county. This includes $8.7 million for upgrades to Bloomfield Avenue from North/South Mountain Avenue to Maple Avenue/Pine Street, which was completed in 2022; and nearly $8 million for improvements to 11 intersections on Valley Street in South Orange and Maplewood, which is under construction.

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 at 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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