Transportation Capital Program
Fiscal Year 2008

Introduction

• Significantly increases spending for projects and programs which promote the safety of motorists and pedestrians (“Safety First”)



• Significantly increases investments in bridge and roadway preservation



• Promotes Smart Growth through targeted investments, including developing new ways of fighting congestion through new initiatives


• Stimulates economic growth through transportation improvements to increase accessibility to the labor market



• Supports property tax relief by maintaining local aid programs

Program Highlights

• The program provides funding for state and local bridge needs of approximately $509 million. Bridge investments range from funding for high-cost bridges to implementation of a variety of rehabilitation programs, including safety upgrades for our movable bridges.



• The program also provides increased funding for highway pavement resurfacing and rehabilitation work, focusing especially on fixing deteriorated sections of our interstate highway network.



• Funding for safety programs is increased. Key programs funded under NJDOT’s Safety First initiative include the Median Cross-over Crash Prevention program, Safe Corridors (implementing improvements identified by Safety Impact Teams in high-hazard corridors), the Safe Routes to School program, and the new pedestrian safety initiative.



• The program provides funding for transportation improvements around the Meadowlands complex.



• The program provides $13 million for Camden revitalization.



• The program utilizes $50 million for advancement of several projects in the Liberty Corridor.



• The program funds a balanced attack on highway congestion, with increased investment in highway operational improvements, which focus on relieving high-congestion bottlenecks. The Emergency Service Patrol program is expanded and a new program is funded to improve the functioning of traffic signals. Funding for highway capacity increase projects (major widenings and construction of new highways) is limited to less than 4% of the total program in order to provide funding for lower-cost congestion relief projects and Fix-it-First projects.



• The program budget allots $566 million to address many of NJ TRANSIT’s state of good repair needs.



• The program provides ongoing funding for track replacement, bridge and tunnel inspections and improvements, security improvements, signal system upgrades, overhead power line and electric substation upgrades and other rail station and bus terminal improvements throughout New Jersey.



• The program also provides funding levels to support the replacement of 1,171 transit-style buses in NJ TRANSIT’s fleet over the next six years. These buses run primarily on intercity routes. (NJ TRANSIT cruiser and articulated buses were recently replaced.) The program also provides $12 million for midlife overhauls of 650 transit buses and 76 Cruiser CNG buses.



• This program also invests in long overdue major bridge rehabilitation projects including the rehabilitation of the 100+ year old Newark Drawbridge, replacement of the timber approaches of the Coast Line’s Shark River Drawbridge, replacement of bridges along the Raritan Valley Line and initiating preliminary engineering to replace the Northeast Corridor Portal Bridge.


• The program provides funding for rail station improvements at MetroPark Station, Edison Station, Newark Penn Station, New York Penn Station, South Amboy Station, Highland Avenue Station Tunnel and Canopy repairs, Raritan Station Roof replacement, Roselle Station Canopy and Roof replacement, Linden Station Platform repairs, Elizabeth Station, and Wood-Ridge Station. Improvements will also be continued with the completion of construction of the Trenton Station rehabilitation, and Newark Broad Street Station rehabilitation.



• The Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program attacks congestion through providing for park-and-ride projects. NJ TRANSIT has expanded parking at Clifton Rail Station (228 spaces), 300 commuter spaces at the Rahway Train Station, expanded the Allwood Bus Park/Ride by 285 spaces and Plauderville Park/Ride by 230 spaces, the new Tonnelle Avenue Park/Ride on the Hudson Bergen Light Rail line (730 spaces), and the Hamilton Train Station parking deck (2,200 spaces).



• The Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program continues to design and construct another 700 spaces at Edison Station; and 600 spaces at South Amboy Parking Deck.



• NJ TRANSIT will also be moving forward on other critical initiatives to meet forecasted market growth and travel demand over the next decade in New Jersey and the surrounding region, including a new trans-Hudson tunnel, the Meadowlands rail link and other planned investments to expand core capacity of the railroad to allow for more frequent service. The program provides additional funding to continue to advance preliminary engineering and property acquisition for THE Tunnel project and funds the early action platform extension at New York Penn Station. The program also provides funding for modest expansion of the system targeting funding to critical projects using an incremental approach.

Financing our transportation needs