A public comment period extension is being held for SJTPO’s Draft Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024-2033 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). The revisions include adding two new sections to highlight projects in the SJTPO region and revising project descriptions, expenditure and resource tables (tables 1-13), additional resources allocated to the region, and the glossary. One major change is the addition of the Chestnut Avenue Safety Improvements and Rehabilitation project following the award of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant to the City of Vineland. The revisions will be available for review on the SJTPO (www.sjtpo.org/TIP) no later than Tuesday, August 29, 2023. The comment period will close on Sunday, September 10, 2023.

The TIP includes state, regional, and local projects and programs, including transit. Over $1.5 billion of FFY 2024-2033 Federal and State funding is identified for transportation improvements within the four counties and participation in the statewide programs. This TIP introduces new projects and updates the schedules, costs, and funding for projects in the previous TIP.

The RTP is the long-term transportation plan identifying the high-level vision and outlining the transportation projects for at least the next twenty years. The RTP is being amended to include the latest information on projects programmed in the Draft FFY 2024-2033 TIP. Federal guidelines require the RTP to be consistent with the TIP.

The public can view, download the documents, and provide comments on the documents directly from the SJTPO TIP webpage at www.sjtpo.org/TIP.

We are excited to announce that the SJTPO office will be relocating to a larger space on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. This move is an important milestone for the growth of SJTPO and the staff is thrilled to get into the new space.

Our new mailing address is listed below. We ask that you please update your records.

NEW OFFICE ADDRESS
South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO)
817 East Landis Avenue, 2nd Floor
Vineland, NJ 08360

In preparation for the relocation, we are anticipating disruption to phone services on Friday, August 18, 2023 for an extended period of time. As such, correspondence with staff on Friday is best to be done by email.  View the staff directory. We anticipate phone services will return to normal by Monday, August 21, 2023. Should anything change, we will send another update.

We look forward to providing more information on our office relocation in the September issue of the On-the-Go newsletter. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer Marandino, Executive Director, at (856) 794-1941 or jmarandino@sjtpo.org.

We thank you in advance for your understanding as we work to transition into our new office space.

SJTPO requests public input for its Draft Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024-2033 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Transportation Conformity Determination, Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and Public Involvement Plan (PIP). These documents collectively serve as the backbone of SJTPO’s planning process, focusing on slightly different aspects, as noted below.

The TIP includes state, regional, and local projects and programs, including transit. Over $1.5 billion of FFY 2024-2033 Federal and State funding is identified for transportation improvements within the four counties and participation in the statewide programs. This TIP introduces new projects and updates the schedules, costs, and funding for projects in the previous TIP.

The Transportation Conformity Determination ensures that all regional projects are consistent with the air quality goals and do not cause new or worsen air quality violations or delay the timely attainment of the national ambient air quality standards.

The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is the long-term transportation plan that identifies the high-level vision and outlines the transportation projects for at least the next twenty years. The RTP is being amended to include the latest information on projects programmed in the Draft FFY 2024-2033 TIP. Federal guidelines require the RTP to be consistent with the TIP.

The Public Involvement Plan (PIP) documents the rules SJTPO will follow and identifies methods that SJTPO will utilize to ensure that planning efforts include the region’s public to the greatest degree reasonably possible. The PIP is being updated to better reflect the relationship between the RTP and TIP, outline when revisions are necessary, and the approval for each.

With the approval of the bi-annual TIP being the reason for the edits to the other planning documents, the public is able to view, download the document, and provide comments on any documents directly from the SJTPO TIP webpage at www.sjtpo.org/TIP.

SJTPO hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The public meeting was recorded and posted to SJTPO’s YouTube Channel for public viewing.

If attendance at the public meeting was not possible, comments on any of the documents mentioned above may be submitted. Please visit any of the above document-specific webpages for more information.

NJDOT is hosting a Transit Village Outreach Event webinar on Wednesday, June 28, at 2 p.m. New Jersey communities with strong transit assets, such as passenger rail, light rail, bus, or ferry terminal, can learn about the Transit Village Initiative and how to leverage their existing transit assets to support TOD and a vibrant, walkable community. Register for the webinar.

Atlantic City will be hosting a Public Information Center (PIC) to inform local residents, officials, businesses, and the general public about the deployment of an advanced traffic signal system project along the Pacific Avenue corridor from Hartford Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue in Atlantic City. The goal of this project is to reduce overall congestion by minimizing delays at each intersection and improving overall travel time through the corridor. The purpose of this PIC is to share information on the project and solicit input on the traffic signal timing improvements.

This project is being funded using Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds made available through the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO). This meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 20th from 6:00-8:00 PM with a slide presentation followed by a question and answer session. It is being conducted in conformance with Federal and State regulations and is open to all members of the public.

Meeting Details
Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Carnegie Center
35 South Martin Luther King Boulevard
2nd Floor Lecture Room
Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Written Comments
Written comments on the project may be made via the Comment Form at https://www.ACITSMasterPlan.com or mailed to:
Uzo Ahiarakwe, PE, PLS, PP, CME, City Engineer
Office of the City Engineer
City Of Atlantic City
1301 Bacharach Boulevard, Suite 603
Atlantic City, NJ, 08401

Comments will be accepted through Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

The SJTPO, in partnership with NJDOT, is announcing the award of $5.2 million for six federal grants under the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA Set-Aside) program.

The competitive TA Set-Asides program provides funds to build pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, and create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose while promoting safety and mobility.

The six federal grants for the SJTPO region can be viewed here: https://rb.gy/cyvdw.

The solicitation round for applications began on May 24, 2022, and ran through November 3, 2022. Seventeen applications requesting approximately $18 million were received from municipalities in the SJTPO region. The total available grant funding is nearly $2.6 million for each of the two years.

The full announcement can be viewed here: https://rb.gy/ywdxw.

SJTPO is seeking a recent graduate or an early career professional for a full-time position that will be responsible for advancing SJTPO’s initiatives in resiliency; supporting the advancement of public transit, especially for the transit-dependent population; supporting SJTPO’s performance-based planning efforts, including data collection and analysis, as well as review and evaluation of new targets; researching, drafting, and implementing the region’s long-range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP); as well as supporting a variety of consultant-led technical studies. The Assistant Planner will report to the Program Manager of Regional Planning and Systems Performance. Visit the Career Opportunities web page for complete details.

SJTPO is now accepting applications for its newly combined Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Carbon Reduction Program (CRP). There will be up to $5.700 million available for CMAQ-eligible projects and $2.700 million available for CRP-eligible projects over three Federal Fiscal Years (FFY), including 2025, 2026, and 2027. Project Applications are due no later than Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Applicants do not need to specify for which funding program they are requesting consideration. A single Project Application is applicable for the joint solicitation. Applicants are able to request assistance for the required Emissions Analysis no later than June 27, 2023, as well as participate in a one-on-one (in-person or virtual) meeting with SJTPO staff before applying no later than August 2, 2023. To learn more, please visit the CMAQ webpage or the Carbon Reduction Program webpage.

The Cape May County Trail Connector seeks to close a critical gap between two existing high-quality trails – the Beesley’s Point Trailhead and Dennis Township Trailhead. Once built, it will help complete a 105-mile trail from Cape May to Philadelphia. SJTPO, Cape May County, Dennis Township, and Upper Township are working together to make this project a reality.

Join us for an update on the project and weigh in on the future of this important trail connection!

• Meeting date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Time: 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
• Location: Online via Zoom (register now) or in person at Upper Township Municipal Building (2100 Tuckahoe Road, Petersburg, NJ 08270)

For additional information, visit the project webpage.

On Monday, April 10, 2023, at 10:00 AM, SJTPO and representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJ OEM) will host an Emergency Planning and Operations Roundtable. Those interested in attending can attend in person at Vineland City Hall or virtually via GoToMeeting. View the event flyer or the TAC web page for more information and connection details.

Applications are now being accepted for projects in the Philadelphia region (Philadelphia Metro, Central PA, Lehigh Valley, Delaware, and southern New Jersey) that represent outstanding and transformational land use developments, best practices, and creative visioning.

Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the development industry and advance the ULI mission to shape the future of the built environment for a positive impact in communities worldwide.

The deadline to apply is Friday, March 17, 2023, with the Awards for Excellence Celebration on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

Apply today at https://philadelphia.uli.org/events/awards/.

TransAction, New Jersey’s premier transportation conference, has an open call for student posters! Enter in the graduate or undergraduate category for a chance to win a cash prize. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3SHISiG.

The March newsletter is now available! We hope you will read it and learn about our upcoming Federal Certification public comment period and public meeting, local roadways awarded over $30 million to improve safety, current job opportunities, and more! The newsletter is viewable on the On The Go web page.

SJTPO will participate in a Federal Certification Review in late March 2023. Federal Certification is a process that occurs once every four years. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) assess SJTPO’s transportation planning process to ensure full compliance with federal laws and regulations. Determining compliance is essential as it is the basis for providing ongoing allocations of federal funds to SJTPO, which pass through to the four counties served by SJTPO. The Certification Review will also identify the challenges, successes, and experiences of the cooperative relationship between the SJTPO, the State Department of Transportation (DOT), and the public transportation operator.

Staff requests public comments on the current transportation planning process. The comment period will be open from Wednesday, March 1, 2023, through Friday, March 31, 2023. A public meeting for Certification Review is scheduled from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Monday, March 27, 2023. This meeting will allow the public to speak with FHWA and FTA representatives regarding SJTPO’s current transportation planning process and voice comments, questions, and concerns. For more information, visit the Public Comment web page.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Safety Resource Center is hosting an upcoming Lunch & Learn series on utilizing Proven Safety Countermeasures. Each is an hour long, and the three sessions focus on Lane Departure Crashes, Intersection Crashes, and Pedestrian Crashes. More information is included on the attached card. Registration is available at this link:
https://rb.gy/xdxczr.

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) serves as the budget for SJTPO, as it outlines all federally funded transportation projects and operating and direct expenses in the SJTPO four-county region from July 1 to June 30. The UPWP is prepared each year and brought to the Policy Board, the governing body of SJTPO, for approval.

The Draft Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 UPWP public comment will be open from Wednesday, December 14, 2022, through Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Responses to comments will be provided in the Policy Board-approved UPWP.

To view the Draft FY 2024 UPWP and for details on how to provide public comments, visit the UPWP webpage.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 Brownfields team will host a Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Brownfields MARC Grant Proposal Guidelines Workshop. The solicitation for EPA’s Multipurpose, Assessment, Cleanup, and Revolving Loan Fund (MARC) grants is underway. Grant applications are due by November 22, 2023.

The workshop will be held on October 25, 2022 from 9:00 AM to noon. The workshop is designed to assist local government and nonprofit organizations to better understand EPA’s proposal criteria and selection process. Register here to attend the workshop.

Registration is open for the 2022 New Jersey Complete Streets Training! The FREE 3-hour online training, sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, consists of three modules covering all the basics of Complete Streets from the benefits to the planning to the design elements needed to implement them in your community. This training is designed for planners, engineers, advocates, public health professionals, policymakers, elected officials, and anyone looking to learn more about Complete and Green Streets.

Sign up for one of three dates in October. Each online training will focus on a different region of the state, but all sessions will cover the same basic principles and are open to everyone:

• Thursday, October 13, 2022, 9:00 am – noon (North Jersey focus)
• Thursday, October 20, 2022, 9:00 am – noon (Central Jersey focus)
• Thursday, October 27, 2022, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (South Jersey focus)

Visit njbikeped.org/nj-complete-streets-training to learn more about what the training covers and to register for a session. If you have any questions, please contact: bikeped@ejb.rutgers.edu.

As part of NJ TRANSIT’s Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL) Service Study, NJ TRANSIT is conducting a brief survey to learn how rail service could be improved to better meet the needs of customers. Survey respondents who provide their contact information will be entered into a drawing for either an NJ TRANSIT monthly pass or a $100.00 gift card.

Take the ACRL English survey >>>
Take the ACRL Spanish survey >>>

In partnership with the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the Governor’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Office is hosting a webinar about USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program. The program provides funds to municipalities for roadway safety planning and projects that will help meet the 2050 goal of zero deaths and serious injuries. Awards provide up to $1M for Action Plan proposals and up to $30M for Implementation Plan proposals. Applications are due September 15th.

The webinar will feature speakers from NJDOT and FHWA, who will provide information and take questions about this program and other IIJA program municipal opportunities. The webinar is targeted toward municipalities to discuss and answer questions about Safe Streets, which is one of several programs for which state governments aren’t eligible and only municipal governments and MPOs can apply. The webinar is coming up soon on August 1st at 2 pm. The webinar is free, but registration is required using the link.