Congestion Buster Task Force Holds First Meeting
The first meeting of a statewide advisory group charged with developing projects and initiatives to combat congestion in New Jersey was held today at New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) headquarters.
The creation of the "Congestion Buster Task Force" within NJDOT was a requirement in the reauthorization of the Transportation Trust Fund and Congestion Relief Act of 2000.
State Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein said, "Congestion on our roads continues to be a major burden on the state's economy, and on our quality of life. The thoughtful and reasoned review of potential solutions by this Task Force will be invaluable as the Department advances several congestion management strategies aimed at moving people and goods safely and efficiently."
The purpose of the 25-member Task Force is to, within one year, develop a plan and a list of priority projects to combat congestion in New Jersey. The advisory group, representing small, medium and large companies around the State, experience transportation congestion and crowded transit facilities first hand in their daily travels. They will seek input from businesses and industry, commuters, transit and general users of the state's transportation system. A report on the findings of the Task Force will be submitted to the Governor, State Legislature, and both Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees.
Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman Alex DeCroce, who was instrumental in establishing the Task Force, said he looks forward to hearing the group's recommendations. "As a corridor state, and the most densely-populated state in the nation, congestion is sometimes unavoidable. But there are measures we can take to address this problem and the Task Force will provide us with reasoned advice on the potential solutions."
Some of the organizations represented on the Task Force include the state's three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO's). The MPO's are responsible for prioritizing and selecting transportation projects which receive federal funding. Also on the Task Force are transportation system users such as AAA and the New Jersey Motor Truck Association.
Jim Sinclair, First Vice President of New Jersey Business & Industry Association accepted the nomination to chair the Task Force. "While one year is not a long time, the members gathered here today all expressed great interest in the issue. We understand our charge and I know that we will work hard to bring the customers' perspective to the issue and, in doing so, develop a reasonable plan and relevant projects to help move the needle on congestion. "
Congestion Buster Task Force Members as of May 21,2001
Ms. Janine Bauer
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
204 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Sandra Brillhart, Executive Director
Greater Mercer TMA
15 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
Mike Reeves
South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization
1173 Landis Avenue
Vineland, NJ 08360
Jose Sosa
Johnson & Johnson
1 Johnson & Johnson Plaza
New Brunswick, NJ 08933
John Claffey
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
111 South Independence Mall East
Bourse Building, 8th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Dominic D'Agosta, Vice President
Summit Bank
210 Main Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Major Lee Cartwright
Division of State Police
NJ Department of Law and Public Safety
River Road
P O Box 7068
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0068
Erica Ferry, Director, Community Relations
Pharmacia Corporation
100 Route 206 North
Peapack, NJ 07977-0621
Joanne Jaeger, Vice President
LFR Levine, Fricke
5 Johnson Drive
P O Box 130
Raritan, NJ 08869
Stephanie Kudrowitz, Operations Manager
Edwards and Kelcey
299 Madison Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07962
Barry Lem, Human Resources Manager
L-3 Communications Systems East
1 Federal Street A&E-1C
Camden, NJ 08103
Susan Maglione, Assistant Manager
Verizon
100 South 6th Street
P O Box 389
Vineland, NJ 08360
Pam Maiolo, Director of Public Affairs
American Automobile Association
3 AAA Drive
Hamilton, NJ 08691
Joseph Miele, Chairman and President
Committee for a Smart NJ
185 Fairfield Avenue, Suite 4C
West Caldwell, NJ 07007
Anita Perez, Executive Director
RideWise of Raritan Valley
166 West Main Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
William Ragozine, Executive Director
Cross Country Connection
Executive Campus
2002 D Lincoln Drive West
Marlton, NJ 08053
James Redeker, Assistant Executive Director of Planning
New Jersey Transit
One Penn Plaza East
Newark, NJ 07105
Martin Robins, Director
Rutgers Transportation Policy Institute
33 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ms. Judy Schleicher
c/o The Honorable Alex DeCroce, Chairman
Assembly Transportation Committee
101 Gibraltar Drive, Suite 2-D
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
Jim Sinclair, First Vice President
New Jersey Business & Industry Association
102 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608-1199
Gail Toth, Executive Director
NJ Motor Truck Association
160 Tices Lane
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
Peter Unanue, Vice President
Goya Foods
100 Seaview Drive
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Mike Egenton, Assistant Vice President
Government Relations
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
216 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Joel Weiner, Executive Director
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
One Newark Center, 17th Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
Pippa Woods, Assistant Commissioner
Planning, Research & Local Government Services
NJ Department of Transportation
1035 Parkway Avenue
Trenton, NJ 08625-0600
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