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Frequently Asked Questions
The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO), a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) covering Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties, provides a regional approach to solving transportation issues. SJTPO synchronizes the planning actions of participating regional agencies and provides a forum for transportation planning and decision making among officials, operators, and the public.
The governing body of the SJTPO is the Policy Board. It consists of eleven voting members: one elected official from each county government, one municipal elected official from each county (specifically including the mayors of Atlantic City and Vineland), and one representative each from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) is a federal program that funds projects and programs that improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. It is jointly administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each year, $1.9 million in CMAQ funding is allocated in the SJTPO region for CMAQ in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). These funds will be available for projects and programs throughout the SJTPO region via a competitive process. Candidate projects and programs may be submitted to SJTPO for eligibility review. Eligible applications are then ranked by the CMAQ Selection Committee, and projects selected for funding are to be implemented by the sponsoring agency.
A fourteen member Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides input to the Policy Board. It consists of staff of each Policy Board member, as well as representatives of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the New Jersey Highway Authority, and the Delaware River and Bay Authority. A wide variety of other agencies are also invited to participate in the Technical Advisory Committee.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a list of projects and programs scheduled to be implemented over a period of at least four years. Transportation projects must be included in the TIP to receive most types of federal funding. The TIP provides a mechanism for locally-elected officials and agency staff to review the region’s capital programming. It represents a consensus among MPO members and other major transportation interests in the region as to what improvements should have priority for available funds.
Each year, MPOs are required to prepare a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), in cooperation with member agencies, to describe all metropolitan transportation and transportation-related air quality planning activities anticipated within the region during the year.
A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is important because it is responsible for transportation planning and managing federal funding for the region. Your ability to travel easily to home, work, the store, events, or other destinations has a great impact on daily life. Whether traveling by car, bus, bike, or walking, the transportation system is designed to serve you by making these modes more safe and convenient.
- Join the SJTPO email list to receive important updates and notices when public meetings are held. Simply send an email to info@sjtpo.org or call 856-794-1941.
- Visit www.sjtpo.org, where you can read our documents and reports, learn about upcoming events, and meet our staff.
- Follow us on social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
- Email comments to info@sjtpo.org and we will pass them along to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) at their next meetings.
- Attend the monthly meetings of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
- For those unable to attend TAC meetings, past agendas and meeting minutes are available online at www.SJTPO.org.
- Contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel about our regional transportation system.
- Invite us to give a short presentation to your community organization, school, neighborhood group or club—we love getting out of the office!