|
|
Transportation Capital Program
Fiscal Year 2009
Introduction
The Transportation Capital Program for Fiscal Year 2009 describes all the capital investments planned by the New Jersey Department of
Transportation (NJDOT) and NJ TRANSIT for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2008. It represents the annual element of the Department of
Transportation and NJ TRANSIT’s Ten-year State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
A companion document, the “Statewide Capital Investment Strategy, Fiscal Years 2009-2018,” outlines nine transportation investment categories
and recommends investment levels for each of these categories based on specific revenue assumptions. These investment categories are Bridge
Assets, Road Assets, Congestion Relief, Mass Transit, Local Support, Multimodal, Airports and Safety. The Capital Investment Strategy
recommendations guided the selection and funding levels of programs and projects in the Fiscal Year 2009 Capital Program and the ten-year
STIP.
This program continues to “reform, replenish, and grow” New Jersey’s economy. The Transportation Trust Fund provides stable state
transportation funding for the next three years at a level of $1.6 billion per year. The Governor’s proposed financial restructuring and debt
reduction plan would continue to provide a stable state transportation fund source over the life of the ten-year STIP and beyond.
This program is the product of extensive, ongoing participation by the state’s three metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and a wide
variety of stakeholders.
The Transportation Capital Program for Fiscal Year 2009 is funded at a level of $3.3 billion, including $2.0 billion programmed for use by
NJDOT and $1.3 billion by NJ TRANSIT. About 49 percent of the total program ($1.6 billion) is funded by the New Jersey Transportation Trust
Fund. The Transportation Trust Fund provides New Jersey’s contribution to infrastructure and transit improvements and permits our ability to
draw down federal funding under the federal “soft match” provision. However, as the Statewide Capital Investment Strategy report shows in
detail, even the current funding level falls far short of meeting New Jersey’s documented needs for infrastructure renewal, transit
extensions, local aid, and other pressing demands.
Specifically, NJDOT’s $2.0 billion program is a balanced investment plan which advances the goals and objectives of our capital investment
strategy based on our limited resources. The program:
- Significantly increases spending for bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects.
- Continues spending for projects and programs which promote the safety of motorists and pedestrians (“Safety First”).
- Continues our strong investment in road preservation projects.
- Promotes Smart Growth through targeted investments, including developing new ways of fighting congestion through new initiatives.
- Stimulates economic growth through multi-modal transportation improvements to increase accessibility to the labor market.
- Supports property tax relief by maintaining local system support programs. In particular, it also provides an additional $25 million
to support bridge investments in our local road system.
NJ TRANSIT’s $1.3 billion capital program continues the agency’s “making public transportation the preferred choice of travel” approach;
advancing many initiatives that modernize the transit system, while improving service reliability, frequency and connectivity. NJ TRANSIT is
integrating bus, rail and light rail services to create a more seamless and convenient travel experience for customers. NJ TRANSIT continues
to evaluate existing transfers between services and adjusting schedules to minimize wait times when possible. At the same time, NJ TRANSIT is
making enhancements at primary transfer points and redefining essential characteristics to improve amenities at these transit centers. NJ
TRANSIT is also enhancing some of the States’ busiest bus routes with modernized buses, signs, shelters and express service. Key corridors in
the State are being identified where exclusive bus lanes and new technology can be utilized to allow buses to bypass traffic during peak
periods to enhance service.
The NJ TRANSIT Fiscal Year 2009 Capital Program provides $129 million in debt service payments for prior rolling stock purchases and light
rail expansion projects; $356 million to subsidize operations; and $660 million targeted at fundamental capital needs. The program also
includes $142 million in federal and other funds earmarked for specific projects and programs administered by NJ TRANSIT. The Fiscal Year
2009 Capital Program will continue to support the ongoing effort to bring the state’s transit system to a state of good repair, ensuring safe,
reliable and sustainable transit service for the state’s residents.
Program Highlights
- The NJDOT program provides funding for state and local bridge needs of approximately $632 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 NJDOT program also provides $202 million in funding for highway pavement resurfacing, focusing especially on fixing deteriorated
sections of our interstate highway network.
- Funding for safety programs has increased to $109 million. 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 NJDOT program provides $20 million in funding for transportation improvements around the Meadowlands complex.
- The NJDOT program provides $306 million in funds to maintain our attack on highway congestion especially in highway operational
improvements, which focus on relieving high-congestion bottlenecks. The Emergency Service Patrol and Incident Management programs are
expanded. 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 $507 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 continues to provide funding to support the replacement of 1,145 transit-style buses in NJ TRANSIT’s fleet over the next
five years. These buses run primarily on intercity routes. (NJ TRANSIT cruiser and articulated buses were recently replaced.)
- The program continues to provide funding for the delivery of about 12 multilevel railcars each month providing customers with a more
comfortable and relaxing ride.
- The program also continues to invest in long overdue major bridge rehabilitation projects including the rehabilitation of the 100+ year
old Newark Drawbridge, Lower Hack Bridge Rehabilitation, 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, Ridgewood Station Accessibility Improvements, Newark Penn Station, South
Amboy Station, Elizabeth Station, New Brunswick Station Platform Extension and Elevator Improvements, Short Hills Pedestrian Tunnel Repairs,
STARS Station Rehabilitation, and system wide stations and facility inspection and repairs. Improvements will also be continued with the
completion of construction of the Trenton Station rehabilitation and Hoboken Ferry Terminal.
- 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, Northern Branch Rail Service the Hudson-Bergen Light
rail 8th street Extension, Passaic/Bergen Rail project, Lackawanna Cut-off first phase and other planned investments to expand core capacity
of the railroad to allow for more frequent service. The program provides funding to continue to advance engineering and property acquisition
for THE Tunnel project. The program also provides funding for modest expansion of the system targeting funding to critical projects using an
incremental approach.
|
|
