Glossary and Acronyms
A
AA – Alternatives Analysis
AAA – American Automobile Association
AADT – Annual Average Daily Traffic
AARP – American Association of Retired Persons
AASHTO – American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AC – Advance Construction
Access for All Transit Plan – A plan that identifies the unmet transportation needs and recommends measures to increase service quality and reduce the cost of providing services to a segment of the region’s population that is unable to or not permitted to operate a vehicle. It must be updated every five years.
ACE – Atlantic City Expressway
ACJA – Atlantic City Jitney Association
ACS – American Community Survey
Active Transportation – Also known as Non-motorized Transportation, includes walking, bicycling, small-wheeled transport (e.g., skates, skateboards, push scooters, and handcarts), and wheelchair travel.
ACTU – Atlantic County Transportation Unit
ACY – Atlantic City International Airport
ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
Administrative Modification – A minor revision to a long-range statewide transportation or metropolitan transportation plan, Transportation Improvement Program, or Statewide Transportation Improvement Program that includes minor changes to project/project phase costs, minor changes to funding sources of previously included projects, and minor changes to project/project phase initiation dates. It does not require public review and comment, re-demonstration of fiscal constraint, or a conformity determination in Nonattainment Areas.
Advance Construction (AC) – A procedure to advance federally funded projects into the current fiscal year and implement the project immediately. Funding is available through other sources of money by the state. Federal funds are used to reimburse the initial funding source in future years.
AICP – American Institute of Certified Planners
Air Quality Control Region (AQCR) – A federally designated area required to meet and maintain federal ambient air quality standards. It may include nearby locations in the same state or nearby states that share common air pollution problems.
Air Quality Index (AQI) – How clean or polluted the outdoor air is and the associated health effects of concern.
Airport Assets – Work anticipated to preserve, maintain, and improve New Jersey Aviation Facilities for developing an efficient air transportation system that responds to the needs of its users and the public.
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) – A national leader in the research and development of innovative transportation policy.
Alternatives Analysis (AA) – Preliminary engineering and environmental studies of various transportation project alternatives. Alternatives are narrowed down, with some selected for a more detailed study. After substantial and detailed engineering and environmental studies, a preferred alternative is identified.
Amendment – A revision to a long-range statewide or Regional Transportation Plan, Transportation Improvement Program, or Statewide Transportation Improvement Program that involves a significant change to a project, including the addition or deletion of a project or a significant change in project cost, project/project phase initiation dates, or a major change in design concept or design scope. Requires public review and comment, re-demonstration of fiscal constraint, or a conformity determination for “non-exempt” projects in nonattainment and maintenance areas.
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) – A nonprofit, nonpartisan association dedicated to helping older Americans achieve lives of independence, dignity, and purpose.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) – A nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the United States.
American Automobile Association (AAA) – A nonprofit association that sells car insurance, provides assistance to members, and lobbies on behalf of motorists.
American Community Survey (ACS) – A nationwide survey that collects and produces information on social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics of the United State’s population every year.
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) – A professional certification for planners that requires completing a set of courses and passing a test offered by the American Planning Association’s Professional Institute.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) – An association for the bus, rapid transit, and commuter rail systems industry based in Washington, DC that works to improve the accessibility and availability of public transportation.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) – An economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – A landmark civil rights legislation enacted in 1990 that ensures equal opportunity for people with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and state and local government programs and services. Metropolitan Planning Organizations must host public involvement activities in ADA-compliant facilities and allow individuals to access the information presented.
AMPO – Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
AMTRAK – National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) – The total volume of vehicle traffic on a highway or road for a year divided by 365 days.
APTA – American Public Transportation Association
AQCR – Air Quality Control Region
AQI – Air Quality Index
ARRA – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Associated Transit Improvements (ATI) – A project or area designed to enhance public transportation and is physically or functionally related to transit facilities.
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) – A nonprofit membership association established to serve the needs and interests of Metropolitan Planning Organizations nationwide.
ATI – Associated Transit Improvements
Atlantic City Expressway (ACE) – A 44.19-mile long toll road in New Jersey, managed and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) – A shared civil-military airport 10 miles northwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in Egg Harbor Township. It is operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which performs select management functions. Most of the land is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration and leased to the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which owns the terminal building.
Atlantic City Jitney Association (ACJA) – An association of operators of minibus service in Atlantic City, New Jersey, providing service at all times on three fixed routes, daytime service on a fourth fixed route, and bus-to-rail connections from the Atlantic City Rail Terminal, providing connections to Atlantic City Line trains.
Atlantic County Transportation Unit (ACTU) – A deviated fixed-route and demand-responsive system operated by the County Department of Intergenerational Services. Service is for Atlantic County residents, and ridership is restricted to seniors, persons with disabilities, veterans, and the general public in rural areas not served by the New Jersey Transit Corporation. A county-wide service with some scheduled trips to Vineland and Philadelphia that is door-to-door, free to all riders, and can be used for any trip purpose.
ATSPMs – Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures
Attainment Area – Any geographic area in which levels of a given criteria air pollutant meets the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards for that pollutant.
Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) – Technology that leverages data collection and analysis for proactive traffic signal system management.
B
B/C Analysis – Benefit/Cost Analysis
BCI – Bicycle Compatibility Index
Benefit/Cost Analysis (B/C Analysis) – An analysis that includes identifying and quantifying costs and the benefits of a project. When benefits are divided by costs, the ratio indicates the theoretical effectiveness of a project. A project with a B/C of over 1.0 means the project has more benefits than costs. A higher B/C ratio may indicate a more beneficial project when comparing projects. Some benefits are more qualitative in nature and may not be captured, so a B/C ratio may be one of many variables considered in project selection.
BEPR – Bureau of Environmental Program Resources
BG – Block Group
Bicycle Compatibility Index (BCI) – An analytical tool for assessing how well-suited a roadway is for bicycle travel.
BIL – Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – For the full definition, see Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
Block Group (BG) – A statistical division of census tracts that is defined to contain between 600 and 3,000 people and is used to present data and control block numbering.
BPAC – New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council
Bridge Assets – Projects designed to keep existing bridges functioning and in a State of Good Repair, including work that rehabilitates or replaces existing bridges to current design standards.
Bridge Preservation – A project category classification that includes work designed to keep the existing bridges functioning and in a State of Good Repair, including work that rehabilitates or replaces existing bridges to current design standards.
Bridge-Off – A federal‐aid funding category that provides funds to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the rehabilitation or replacement of bridges defined as structurally deficient and/or functionally obsolete per federal definitions. Funding is used for bridges off the federal‐aid system.
Brownfields – Abandoned, idle, or underused industrial or commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination that can make redevelopment financially or logistically prohibitive.
BRT – Bus Rapid Transit
Bureau of Environmental Program Resources (BERP) – A bureau that oversees compliance with the principles or essential elements of the National Environmental Policy Act throughout the project delivery process.
Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Grant Program (Section 5339) – A capital program that provides funding to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus‐related facilities. Funds are eligible to be transferred by the state to supplement urban and rural formula grant programs.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – A high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast and efficient service that may include dedicated lanes, busways, traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, elevated platforms, and enhanced stations.
C
CAA – Clean Air Act
CAAA – Clean Air Act Amendments
CAFRA – Coastal Area Facility Review Act
CAGR – Compound Annual Growth Rate
Calendar Year (CY) – A one-year period that begins on January 1 and ends on December 31.
CAP – Capital Acquisition
Capacity – Refers to a transportation facility’s ability to accommodate a moving stream of people or vehicles in a given time period.
Cape May Fare Free Transportation (FFT) – A deviated fixed-route service for Cape May County residents age 18 years and older and is for any trip purpose within the County. Service is free to all riders and can be used for any trip purpose. It serves the Jersey Cape Diagnostic Center and assists during Code Blue alerts.
Cape May-Lewes Ferry (CMLF) – A ferry system that traverses a 17-mile crossing of the Delaware Bay connecting North Cape May, New Jersey, with Lewes, Delaware.
Capital Acquisition (CAP) – A phase of work that denotes the acquisition of rolling stock by the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
Capital Construction Program (CCP) – A listing of the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation projects and programs to be submitted to the state legislature for approval and to be considered for inclusion in the Transportation Improvement Program.
Capital Investment Strategy (CIS) – A term used by the New Jersey Department of Transportation for a set of performance-based programming tools, including goals, objectives, performance measures, and alternative investment scenarios.
Capital Program Committee (CPC) – A New Jersey Department of Transportation committee established to review and make recommendations related to the advancement of projects. Responsibilities of the committee include reviewing project advertisement schedules, receiving reports on the development of the Capital Program, Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, and Study and Development Program, and addressing other issues relating to the capital programming process.
Capital Program Delivery – A New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy project category that includes program implementation costs for various phases of projects.
Capital Program Funds – Financial assistance from the transit major capital programs of 49 U.S.C. Section 5309. This program enables the Secretary of Transportation to make discretionary capital grants and loans to finance public transportation projects divided among fixed guideway (rail) modernization; construction of new fixed guideway systems and extensions to fixed guideway systems; and replacement, rehabilitation, and purchase of buses and rented equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities.
Capital Program Screening Committee (CPSC) – A committee established by the New Jersey Department of Transportation Capital Program Committee to review, in detail, project advancement to Feasibility Assessment, Preliminary Design, and Final Design. Committee members ensure the appropriate scope of work is being pursued, recommend approval of the appropriate action for each project to the Capital Program Committee, and ultimately assign the project to the appropriate pipeline.
Capital Program Support – A New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy project category classification that includes a variety of “overhead” type activities that indirectly contribute to the project pipeline.
Capital Transportation Program (CTP) – New Jersey’s six-year capital budget for transportation projects.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) – A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas formed largely by incomplete fuel combustion. Human activities are largely the source of emissions.
CARES Act – Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act
Casino Redevelopment Authority (CRDA) – A New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1984 and is responsible for directing the spending of casino reinvestment funds in public and private projects to benefit Atlantic City and other areas of the state.
Casino Revenue – The annual allocation of 8.5 percent appropriated for transportation services for senior citizens and disabled residents.
Categorical Exclusion (CE) – A class of actions that applies to transportation projects with minimal environmental impacts.
CATS – Cumberland Area Transit System
CATT Lab – Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory
CBG – Census Block Group
CCAM – Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility
CCCTMA – Cross County Connection Transit Management Association
CCP – Capital Construction Program
CD/LCD – Concept Development
CE – Categorical Exclusion
Census Block Group (CBG) – A geographical unit used by the United States Census Bureau. It is the smallest geographical unit for which the bureau publishes sample data.
Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) – A center at the University of Maryland that supports national, state, and local efforts to solve importation transportation, safety, and security problems.
Certificates of Participation (COPs) – Funds freed up on existing Certificates of Participation. They note substituting insurance policy to the New Jersey Transit Corporation for a cash reserve fund to guarantee payment to the note holders.
Certification – The federally mandated process to certify that a Metropolitan Planning Organization is legally qualified to receive and expend federal dollars. A review examines the planning process to ensure that it complies with current provisions.
CFR – Code of Federal Regulations
Child Passenger Safety (CPS) – A number of efforts generally led by a partnership between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Child Passenger Safety Board, and Safe Kids Worldwide. The purpose is to ensure children are safe when they ride in an automobile. Activities generally focus on properly using child seats and seat belts.
CHSTP – Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan
CI – Construction Inspection
CIPD – Division of Capital Investment Planning and Development
CIS – Capital Investment Strategy
Clean Air Act (CAA) – A comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources.
Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) – A federal law that requires states to set budgets and timetables for reducing air pollution.
CMAQ – Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program
CMLF – Cape May-Lewes Ferry
CMP – Congestion Management Process
CMS – Congestion Management System
CO – Carbon Monoxide
COAD – Community Organization Active in Disaster
Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) – A law that strictly regulates all development within a defined area proximate to coastal areas. The law regulates almost all development activities involved in residential, commercial, or industrial development, including construction, relocation, and enlargement of buildings or structures, and all related work, such as excavation, grading, shore protection structures, and site preparation, including the development of transportation infrastructure.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) – A compilation of all regulations published annually that are issued by the federal government’s agencies and departments.
COEC – Community Outreach and Engagement Committee
Committee for a Smart New Jersey (CSNJ) – A nonprofit committee of public, private, and academic sector organizations interested in the research, deployment, and operation of Intelligent Transportation Systems in New Jersey.
Community Organization Active in Disaster (COAD) – An organization based within a community or geographic area, which is composed of representatives from public, private, and not-for-profit agencies.
Community Outreach and Engagement Committee (COEC) – A committee that serves as an open forum for input and discussion to better inform the regional planning and decision-making process through the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization’s major planning products and processes. Members include representatives from many sectors, interests, and organizations, which help to make the committee a diverse snapshot of the region’s public.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) – The mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year.
CON – Construction
Concept Development (CD/LCD) – A set of activities that are carried out early in the systems engineering life cycle to collect and prioritize operational needs and challenges, develop alternative concepts to meet the needs, and select a preferred one as the basis for subsequent system or capability development and implementation.
Condition Status (CS) – A term used by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to report current and historic pavement conditions and forecast future pavement conditions. It is a composite measure of the Surface Distress Index and the International Roughness Index, and is determined according to specific criteria.
Conformity (Air Quality) – A requirement that ensures that federal funding and approval are given to transportation plans, programs, and projects that are consistent with the air quality goals established by a State Implementation Plan. Signifies that transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay the timely attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The Transportation Conformity Rule (40 CRF, part 93) sets forth policies, criteria, and procedures for demonstrating and assuring conformity of transportation activities.
Congestion Management – A project category classification encompasses work that improves the flow of people and goods along transportation corridors. Specific programs under this heading include highway operational improvements, bottleneck widening, Intelligent Transportation Systems, demand management, and congestion management system.
Congestion Management Process (CMP) – A systematic approach required in Transportation Management Areas that provides for effective management and operation based on a cooperatively developed and implemented metropolitan-wide strategy of new and existing transportation facilities eligible for funding under title 23 U.S.C. and title 49 U.S.C. through the use of operational management strategies. It provides information on transportation system performance and finds alternative ways to alleviate congestion and enhance the mobility of people and goods to levels that meet state and local needs.
Congestion Management System (CMS) – A systematic process for managing traffic congestion and provides information on transportation system performance.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) – A federal-aid funding category for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit Corporation to support projects which improve air quality and/or relieve congestion without adding new highway capacity. This program was designed to help states meet their Clean Air Act obligations. Funds are distributed to states based on each state’s population level in air quality Nonattainment Areas weighted by the degree of air pollution.
Congestion Pricing (also Value Pricing) – A term that refers to transportation tolls, fares, or other charges that vary with the level of travel demand and is intended to help optimize the transportation system’s efficiency.
Congestion Relief – A New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category that encompasses work that improves the flow of people and goods along transportation corridors. Specific programs under this heading include highway operational improvements, bottleneck widening, missing links, major widening, intelligent transportation systems, and travel demand management.
Constrained – Projected allocations for the first three years of the Transportation Improvement Program must balance with assumed revenues.
Construction (CON) – The final phase of work in the Transportation Improvement Program, involving the actual construction or building of a project.
Construction Inspection (CI) – A phase of project work that ensures all construction operations and safety measures are being followed to certify conformance and define progress and quality of work.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) – A measure of the overall change in consumer prices based on a representative basket of goods and services over time.
Context Sensitive Design (CSD) – A collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to designing transportation infrastructure that involves all stakeholders to develop a facility appropriate to its setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historical, and environmental resources while maintaining safety and mobility.
Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP) – A federally required plan to help the region prioritize and fund transportation services for disabled, elderly, and low-income residents.
Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) – A federal interagency council that coordinates funding and provides expertise on human services transportation for three targeted populations: people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals of low income.
COP – Certificate of Participation
Core Document – A document that requires a public comment period of at least 30 days as well as at least one public meeting to be held when the plan is substantially revised.
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) – An act signed into law on March 27, 2020, and authorized funding to recipients of urbanized area and rural area formula funds. Funding was made available to New Jersey to assist human services transportation providers in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including reimbursement for personal protection equipment expenditures and other transit-related needs related to the epidemic.
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSA Act) – An act signed into law on December 27, 2020, that allocated funds to the transit industry during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Corridor – A broad geographical band that follows a general directional flow connecting major origins and destinations of trips and which may contain a number of streets, highways, and transit alignments.
County Route (CR) – A roadway designated and/or maintained by a county road department.
CPC – Capital Program Committee
CPI – Consumer Price Index
CPS – Child Passenger Safety
CPSC – Capital Program Screening Committee
CR – County Route
CRDA – Casino Redevelopment Authority
CRFCs – Critical Rural Freight Corridors
Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) – Public roads not in an urbanized area, which provide access and connection to the Primary Highway Freight System and the Interstate with other important ports, public transportation facilities, or other intermodal freight facilities. Nationwide, there are 5,044 centerline miles designated as Critical Rural Freight Corridors.
Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs) – Public roads in urbanized areas that provide access and connection to the Primary Highway Freight System and the Interstate with other ports, public transportation facilities, or other intermodal transportation facilities.
Cross County Connection Transit Management Association (CCTMA) – A nonprofit Transportation Management Association that provides transportation-related services in New Jersey’s seven southern counties, including the counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.
CRRSA Act – Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act
CRRSAA-AC – Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, for use in Atlantic City Urbanized Area
CRRSAA-FLEX – Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, not allocated to a specific population area
CS – Condition Status
CSD – Context Sensitive Design
CSNJ – Committee for a Smart New Jersey
CTP – Capital Transportation Program
CUFCs – Critical Urban Freight Corridors
Cumberland Area Transit System (CATS) – A demand-responsive system operated by the County Office on Aging and the Disabled. The service is door-to-door and open to all residents aged 18 years and older of Cumberland County for any trip purpose. Riders must schedule trips in advance.
D
DART – Delaware Transit Corporation
Database Number (DBNUM) – A unique identifier assigned to a project or program in the Transportation Improvement Program.
DBE – Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprise
DBNUM – Database Number
DBOM – Design-Build-Operate-Maintain
Delaware Memorial Bridge (DMB) – A dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridge carries Interstate 295 and Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey.
Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) – A multi-faceted transportation authority responsible for a network of bridges, ferries, and airports that connect people and places in the heart of the Northeast Corridor in Delaware and Southern New Jersey. The Delaware River and Bay Authority owns, operates, and maintains those facilities, as well as the approach roads and access areas to the bridges and ferries.
Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) – A regional transportation agency that serves as the steward of four bridges that cross the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey: the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross Bridges.
Delaware Transit Corporation (DART)
The public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware.
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
A bi-state Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Philadelphia area, including the New Jersey counties of Mercer, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester.
DEMO – Demonstration Funds
Demonstration Funds – A funding category specific to the New Jersey Department of Transportation that includes “demonstration” funding provided under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 as well as “high priority project” funding provided under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. These projects, with “demonstration” or “high priority project” funding often have special rules of use.
Dense Graded Aggregate (DGA) – Mechanically crushed rock particulate material that is used as a sub-base material in roadways.
Department of Transportation (DOT) – A division of the federal government that is tasked with overseeing national transportation programs.
DES – Final Design
Design and Construction (EC) – A phase of work in which funding is provided for Design and Construction costs.
Design Build Operate Maintain (DBOM) – A term that indicates a single agency or firm performs a project’s design, building, operation, and maintenance.
Design, Right-of-Way, and Construction (ERC) – A phase of work in which funding is provided for Design, Right-of-Way, and Construction costs.
DGA – Dense Graded Aggregate
Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprise (DBE) – A minority-owned and women-owned business. In transportation planning, Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprise programs ensure that eligible minority-owned and women-owned businesses can compete fairly for government-funded projects and programs.
DisHH – Households with a Disabled Resident
Division of Capital Investment Planning and Development (CIPD) – A division tasked with developing a Statewide Capital Investment Strategy and a 10-year constrained Capital Transportation Improvement Plan for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. It is responsible for completing the Problem Statement Review during the Problem Screening Phase and the Charter. It also manages the funding elements associated with each year’s approved Annual Capital Program. One of it’s strategic initiatives is developing and implementing an Asset Management Program and, further, the institutionalization of Asset Management as a way of doing business.
Division of Local Aid and Economic Development – A division that works with county and municipal government officials to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the state’s transportation system.
DMB – Delaware Memorial Bridge
DOT – Department of Transportation
DRBA – Delaware River and Bay Authority
DRPA – Delaware River Port Authority
DVRPC – Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
E
EA – Environmental Assessment
Earmark – A requirement placed in legislation by an elected official devoting revenues to a specific public expenditure.
Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) – A specific division of the Federal Highway Administration that is responsible for improving transportation to and within Federal and Tribal Lands by providing technical services to the highway/transportation community. Within the Federal Lands Highway, the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division serves the transportation engineering needs of the Federal Land Management Agency in 31 eastern states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
EC – Design and Construction
EDC – Every Day Counts
EEO – Equal Employment Opportunity
EFLHD – Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
EIS – Environmental Impact Statement
EJ – Environmental Justice
Emissions Budget – A part of the State Implementation Plan that identifies the allowable emissions levels mandated by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for certain pollutants emitted from mobile, stationary, and area sources. The emissions levels are used for meeting emission reduction milestones, attainment, or maintenance demonstrations.
English as a Second Language (ESL) – The teaching of English to people who speak a different language and who live in a country where English is the primary language spoken.
Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) – This program provides formula funding to assist private, nonprofit organizations in meeting the transportation needs of older adults and persons with disabilities when the transportation service provided is unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate for meeting these needs.
Environmental Assessment (EA) – A report that identifies the environmental impacts of project alternatives as a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act. It can lead to a Finding of No Significant Impact or indicate that further study through an Environmental Impact Statement is required.
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – An investigative report issued to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act requirements that quantifies the environmental impacts of major proposed transportation projects.
Environmental Justice (EJ) – An effort initiated at the federal level to avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects, including social and economic impacts, on minority populations and low-income populations; ensure the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in the transportation decision-making process; and prevent the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations.
Environmental Mitigation Activities – Strategies, policies, programs, actions, and activities that, over time, will serve to avoid, minimize, or compensate for by replacing or providing substitute resources the impacts of or disruption of elements of the human and natural environment associated with the implementation of a Regional Transportation Plan or Statewide Transportation Plan. The human and natural environment includes neighborhoods and communities, homes and businesses, cultural resources, parks and recreation areas, wetlands and water sources, forested and other natural areas, agricultural areas, endangered and threatened species, and ambient air. These activities are intended to be regional in scope and may not necessarily address potential project-level impacts.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – A federal regulatory agency that is responsible for administering and enforcing federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others.
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) – The fair treatment in employment, promotion, training, and other personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, and physical or mental disability.
ERC – Design, Right-of-Way, and Construction
ESL – English as a Second Language
Every Day Counts (EDC) – An initiative of the Federal Highway Administration designed to identify and deploy innovation aimed at reducing the time it takes to deliver highway projects, enhancing safety, and protecting the environment.
F
FA/LFA – Feasibility Assessment
FAA – Federal Aviation Administration
FAC – Freight Advisory Committee
FAST Act – Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act
FBP – Ferry Boat and Terminal Facilities Construction Program
Feasibility Assessment (FA/LFA) – A phase of work intended to develop feasible project proposals that produce the best balance among transportation needs, environmental values, public concerns, and costs.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – The largest transportation agency of the United States government that regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – An agency that coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) – The annual accounting period for the United States government that begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 each year.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – A branch of the United States Department of Transportation that administers the federal-aid highway program, providing financial assistance to states to construct and improve highways, urban and rural roads, and bridges. The FHWA also administers the Federal Lands Highway Program, including the survey, design, and construction of forest highway system roads, parkways and park roads, Indian reservation roads, defense access roads, and other Federal Lands roads.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) – A branch of the United States Department of Transportation that issues and enforces rail safety regulations, administers railroad assistance programs, conducts research and development in support of improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy, provides for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service, and consolidates government support of rail transportation activities.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – A branch of the United States Department of Transportation that administers federal funding to transportation authorities, local governments, and states to support a variety of locally planned, constructed, and operated public transportation systems throughout the United States, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, monorail, passenger ferry boats, inclined railways, and people movers.
FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
Ferry Boat Program and Terminal Facilities Construction Program (FBP) – A federal funding program specifically allocated for improvements to ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities throughout the state.
FFGAs – Full Funding Grant Agreements
FFT – Cape May Fare Free Transportation
FFY – Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)
FHWA – Federal Highway Administration
Final Design (DES) – A phase of work that produces the project’s construction contract documents (e.g., Final Plans, Specifications, and Cost Estimate) for use in soliciting bids from prospective contractors and advancing the project to the Construction phase.
Final Scope Development (FSD) – The process of advancing preliminary engineering and obtaining formal community and environmental approval of the Initially Preferred Alternative.
Financial Plan – The documentation required to be included with a Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program that demonstrates the consistency between reasonably available and projected sources of federal, state, local, and private revenues and the costs of implementing the proposed transportation system improvements.
Financial Programming – A short-term commitment of funds to specific projects identified in the Transportation Improvement Program and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) – A determination of an Environmental Assessment indicating that a potential project will have no significant environmental impact.
FIP – Freight Investment Plan
Fiscal Constraint – A demonstration of sufficient funds (federal, state, local, or private) to implement proposed transportation system improvements as well as to operate and maintain the entire system, through the comparison of revenues and costs.
Fiscal Year (FY) – A period used for calculating the annual financial statements of businesses and other organizations that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 each year.
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act) – A law signed by President Obama on December 4, 2015, that provided long-term funding certainty for surface transportation, meaning states and local governments could move forward with critical transportation projects, like new highways and transit lines, with the confidence that they will have a federal partner over the long term.
FONSI – Finding of No Significant Impact
Formula Capital Grants – Federal transit funds for transit operators, allocated by the Federal Transit Administration and used to purchase rolling stock (e.g., buses and trains) as well as design and construct facilities (e.g., shelters, transfer centers, etc.).
Formula Grants for Rural Areas (Section 5311) – Provides Non-urbanized Area Formula Program federal funding to the New Jersey Transit Corporation to support public transportation in defined rural areas with populations of less than 50,000.
Forts Ferry (FF) – A crossing that runs between Barber’s Basin and Fort Mott in New Jersey, Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, and Delaware City in Delaware.
FRA – Federal Railroad Administration
Freight Advisory Committee (FAC) – A committee of planning partners and freight-related stakeholders in the South Jersey region who meet, as needed, to guide the development of regional freight data, the Regional Freight Plan, and other regional freight issues and studies.
Freight Investment Plan (FIP) – A federally required element within New Jersey’s Statewide Freight Plan that identifies and prioritizes fiscally constrained freight-related transportation projects.
FSD – Final Scope Development
FTA – Federal Transit Administration
Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGAs) – A special type of grant agreement the Federal Transit Administration uses for making a major investment in a new fixed guideway system, such as a rail line, high-occupancy vehicle lane, or ferry service.
G
Garden State Parkway – A controlled-access toll road that stretches 173 miles from Cape May, New Jersey to the New York State line at Montvale.
GARVEE – Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle
GBAT – Greater Bridgeton Area Transit
Geographic Information System (GIS)
A computerized data management system designed to capture, store, retrieve, analyze, and display geographically referenced information.
GHG – Greenhouse Gas
GIS – Geographic Information System
Global Positioning System (GPS) – A navigation system made up of a network of satellites that allows land, sea, and airborne users to determine their exact location.
Global Warming Response Act (GWRA) – A law signed by Governor Phil Murphy that requires the state to adopt measures within specific timeframes so that harmful greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to 80 percent below 2006 levels, economy-wide, by 2050.
GPS – Global Positioning System
Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) – Any bond or other form of debt repayable, either exclusively or primarily, with future federal highway funds.
Greater Bridgeton Area Transit (GBAT) – A deviated fixed-route service serving Bridgeton and Upper Deerfield and open to the general public.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) – A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation (e.g., carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons).
Growing States/High Density States Program (Section 5340) – A funding category provided to states that are either expected to experience population growth over the next 15 years or have a population density greater than 370 persons per square mile.
GWRA – Global Warming Response Act
H
HAR System – Highway Advisory Radio System
HAWK – High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk Signal
HC – Hydrocarbon
High Risk Rural Roads Program (HRRRP) – A program that addresses safety issues on any roadway functionally classified as a rural major or minor collector or a rural local road with significant safety risks, as defined by a state in accordance with an updated Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The High Risk Rural Roads Special Rule requires a state to obligate a certain amount of funds to High Risk Rural Roads if the fatality rate is increasing on rural roads. New Jersey meets the criteria to require the obligation of funds for rural roads.
High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk Signal (HAWK) – A traffic control device that stops road traffic and allows pedestrians to cross safely.
High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) – A motor vehicle carrying more than a specified minimum number of people and therefore permitted to use a traffic lane reserved for such vehicles.
Highway Advisory Radio System (HAR System) – A licensed low-powered, non-commercial radio station used to broadcast information to the general public, including motorists regarding travel, destinations of interest, and situations of imminent danger and emergencies. Transportation departments, national and local parks departments and historic sites, airport authorities, local governments, federal agencies, colleges and universities, hospitals and health agencies, and for special events and destinations, commonly operate a Highway Advisory Radio System.
Highway Infrastructure (HWI) – An additional funding allocation established under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in 2021 for the Highway Infrastructure Program.
Highway Infrastructure Program (HIP) – A program that provides federal funds to construct highways, bridges, and tunnels. Funding is allocated to various urbanized areas, including the Atlantic City Urbanized Area, and is displayed as HWIZ905-AC, HWIZ910-AC, or HWIZ919-AC depending on the year of the appropriation.
Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) – A national-level highway information system that includes extent, condition, performance, use and operating characteristic data for public roadways nationwide.
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) – A federal‐aid funding category for the New Jersey Department of Transportation that is dedicated to achieving a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads through a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety.
Highway Safety Manual (HSM) – A guidance document released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for incorporating quantitative safety analysis in highway transportation project planning and development processes.
HIP – Highway Infrastructure Program
HMA – Hot Mix Asphalt
HMP – New Jersey Hazard Mitigation Plan
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) – A mixture of asphalt binder and hard inert material that is mixed at an elevated temperature that, when compacted, forms a dense pavement layer.
Households in Poverty (POV) – Classified as families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty threshold, which is $52,492 for two adults and two related children.
Households with a Disabled Resident (DisHH) – Households in which a resident is a person with a medical condition or physical or mental impairment that substantially limits at least one of the person’s major life activities.
Households with No Vehicle (NVHH) – Households that report not having a vehicle kept at the home, available for use, expressed as a percentage of all households.
HOV – High-Occupancy Vehicle
HPMS – Highway Performance Monitoring System
HRRRP – High Risk Rural Roads Program
HSIP – Highway Safety Improvement Program
HSM – Highway Safety Manual
HST – Human Services Transportation
Human Services Transportation (HST) – A broad range of transportation service options designed to meet the needs of transportation-disadvantaged populations, including older adults, disabled persons, and/or those with lower income.
HWI – Highway Infrastructure
HWIZ005-AC – Highway Infrastructure Program federal funds allocated to Atlantic City Urbanized Area. Funds must be obligated by September 2021 and expended by September 2026.
HWIZ905-AC – Highway Infrastructure Program federal funds allocated to the Atlantic City Urbanized Area. Funds must be obligated by September 2022 and expended by September 2027.
HWIZ910-AC – Highway Infrastructure Program federal funds allocated to the Atlantic City Urbanized Area. Funds must be obligated by September 2023 and expended by September 2028.
HWIZ919-AC – Highway Infrastructure Program federal funds allocated to the Atlantic City Urbanized Area. Funds must be obligated by September 2024 and expended by September 2029.
Hyperbuild – A New Jersey Department of Transportation strategy designed to accelerate a project’s schedule by condensing any or all phases of its development.
Hyrocarbon (HC) – An organic chemical compound that is composed exclusively of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Hydrocarbons are naturally-occurring and form the basis of crude oil, natural gas, coal, and other important energy sources.
I
I-BANK – An independent state financing authority that makes low-interest loans to finance the construction of eligible environmental and transportation infrastructure projects.
I/M – Inspection and Maintenance
IATA – International Air Transport Association
IAWG – New Jersey Brownfields Interagency Work Group
ICG – Interagency Consultation Group
IHS – Interstate Highway System
IIJA – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Implementing Agencies – Agencies responsible for the maintenance, construction, and operation of the state highway and public transit systems. Also known as operating agencies, New Jersey Implementing Agencies include the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
Information Technology Architecture and Infrastructure Committee (ITAIC) – A committee that provides input on foundational Information Technology services, such as the data and voice network, email, calendar, and productivity tools, as well as Information Technology infrastructure services provided at scale, such as database, data center colocation, servers, storage and backup, and more.
INFRA – Infrastructure For Rebuilding America Grant Program
Infrastructure For Rebuilding America Grant Program (INFRA) – A competitive grant program to fund transportation highway and freight projects of national and regional significance that result in good-paying jobs, improve safety, apply transformative technology, explicitly address climate change and racial equity, and operational improvements directly related to system performance.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) – A $1.0 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021. In addition to expanding infrastructure investment beyond transportation, it also increases investment and provides long-term funding certainty into the transportation system through the federal fiscal year 2026. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 is also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Infrastructure Preservation – One of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s five Core Missions described as projects and programs with a primary focus on preserving, rehabilitating, or reconstructing existing physical assets, such as roads and bridges.
Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) – The periodic inspection of the emissions control systems of motor vehicles. The goal of Inspection and Maintenance programs across the country is to identify and repair high-emitting vehicles to improve air quality in areas not attaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) – Intelligent Transportation Systems include electronics, photonics, communications, or information processing used singly or in combination to improve the efficiency or safety of a surface transportation system. The National Intelligent Transportation Systems architecture is a blueprint for the coordinated development of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies in the United States, providing a systems framework to guide the planning and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems infrastructure.
Interagency Consultation Group (ICG) – Spearheaded by the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, this group consists of officials from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and sometimes neighboring Metropolitan Planning Organizations that focus on the coordination of the transportation conformity process. Interagency consultation is a requirement of the transportation conformity process, per 40 CFR 93.105(c).
Intermodal – The ability to connect, and the connections between, differing modes of transportation.
Intermodal Programs – This project category classification includes work that addresses improvements/provisions for alternative modes of transportation. Program categories within this classification include aviation, goods movement, bicycle/pedestrian, ferries, paratransit, intermodal connections, rail, and other modes.
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) – Signed by President George H.W. Bush on December 18, 1991, this legislative initiative by the United States Congress restructured and authorized federal funding for transportation programs, provided for an increased role for regional planning commissions and Metropolitan Planning Organizations in funding decisions, required comprehensive regional and statewide long-term transportation plans, and authorized $155 billion in highway and transit funding from fiscal years 1992 through 1997.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) – A trade association of the world’s airlines that comprises around 260 airlines, primarily major carriers, representing 117 countries.
International Roughness Index (IRI) – A measure of ride quality, which represents the roughness felt by vehicle occupants driving over the pavement in a measure of inches of vertical movement per mile traveled.
Interstate Highway System (IHS) – The specially designated system of highways, which began in 1956, connects the principal metropolitan areas, cities, and industrial centers of the United States. The Interstate Highway System also connects the United States to internationally significant routes in Canada and Mexico.
IRI – International Roughness Index
ISTEA – Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
ITAIC – Information Technology Architecture and Infrastructure Committee
ITS – Intelligent Transportation Systems
J
JARC – Job Access Reverse Commute Program
Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) – A Non-Federal Transit Administration program providing funding for selected counties and municipalities to increase job accessibility for the most disadvantaged members of the population, including facilitating urban to suburban commuting.
Journey to Work – A classification of data used in transportation planning. It describes the mode an individual uses to travel from home to work and the time it takes. This data is collected in travel surveys and through the United States Census.
L
Land Use – The manner in which portions of land or the structures on them are used or designated for use in a plan (e.g., commercial, residential, retail, industrial, etc.).
LBFN – Local Bridges, Future Needs
LEP – Limited English Proficient
Level of Service (LOS) – A set of characteristics based on travel mode that indicates the quality and quantity of transportation service provided.
Level of Travel Time Reliability (LOTTR) – The ratio of the 80th percentile travel time to the normal travel time using data from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Performance Management Research Data Set.
LIDAR – Light Detection and Ranging
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) – A remote sensing method used to examine the surface of the Earth.
Light Rail Transit (LRT) – A form of passenger urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and rapid transit features.
Limited English Proficiency Plan (LEP Plan) – A plan that identifies people who are limited in English proficiency (also known as LEP persons) and thoroughly evaluates the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization’s efforts to provide meaningful access to services, information, and participation in the transportation planning process. It is reviewed annually and updated on an as-needed basis.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) – A term that refers to persons unable to communicate effectively in English because their primary language is not English and they have not developed fluency in the English language.
Local Aid – A project category classification that provides for the development and implementation of transportation improvements on the local roadway network. Program categories within this classification include local aid to counties, local aid to municipalities, local aid discretionary, local aid other programs, local roadway improvements, and regional planning and project development.
Local Bridges, Future Needs (LBFN) – A $47.3 million program funded through the Transportation Trust Fund, which provides funding for each of New Jersey’s 21 counties for the improvement of county bridges.
Local Lead – A joint undertaking of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Local Lead is a competitive program providing federal funds for advancing locally important projects through Final Design, Right-of-Way acquisition, and Construction.
Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) – A Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasure, a Local Road Safety Plan provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads. The LRSP development process and content are tailored to local issues and needs. The process results in a prioritized list of issues, risks, actions, and improvements that can be used to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local roads.
Local System Support – This New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category provides for the development and implementation of transportation improvements on the local roadway network. Examples of program categories within this classification are local aid to counties and local aid to municipalities, bicycle/pedestrian, regional planning, and project development. The Local System Support category includes the fifteen (15) following sub-categories: Economic Development, Local Aid to Counties, Local Aid to Municipalities, Local Aid, Discretionary, Local Aid, Other Programs, Local Bridges, Local ITS Improvements, Local Mobility Improvements, Local Roadway Improvements, Local Safety Improvements, Local System Support, the New Jersey Transit Corporation Local System Support, Other Programs, Regional Planning and Project Development, and Transportation Enhancements.
Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) – A federal funds program for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Funds are allocated to the center that provides information and training to local governments and agencies to foster a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound surface transportation system by improving skills and increasing knowledge of the transportation workforce and decision-makers.
LOS – Level of Service
LOTTR – Level of Travel Time Reliability
LRSP – Local Road Safety Plan
LRT – Light Rail Transit
LTAP – Local Technical Assistance Program
M
Maintenance Area – Any geographic region of the United States that the Environmental Protection Agency previously designated as a Nonattainment Area for one or more pollutants pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and subsequently re-designated as an Attainment Area subject to the requirement to develop a maintenance plan under section 175A of the Clean Air Act, as amended.
Major Investment Study (MIS) – A study similar to an Alternatives Analysis, which reviews and evaluates various alternatives for proposed transportation improvements in a corridor or subarea.
Major TIP Amendments – Changes requiring a new air quality conformity analysis or adding or deleting a single item of $10 million or more or multiple items totaling $20 million or more from the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization portion of the Transportation Improvement Program.
Management System – A system designed to generate strategies or actions related to transportation system performance and/or the physical condition of transportation system assets. Examples include the Bridge and Pavement Management Systems and the Congestion Management Process.
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) – A document issued by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation that specifies the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used.
MAP-21 Act – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
Maritime Transportation System (MTS) – An expansive system that includes waterways, ports and land-side connections, moving people and goods to and from the water.
MASCEC – Mid-Atlantic Career and Education Center
Mass Transit – One of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s five Core Missions described as passenger transportation services operating on established schedules along designated routes or lines with specific stops and is designed to move relatively large numbers of people at one time.
Mass Transit Assets – This New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category includes light rail transit, and rail and bus physical assets required to bring the transit system to a State of Good Repair . The Mass Transit Assets category includes the eleven following subcategories: National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK), Light Rail Rolling Stock Debt, Bus, Delaware River Port Authority/Port Authority Transit CorporationTransit Assets: Facilities & Equipment, Ferry Infrastructure, Homeland Security, Light Rail Transit, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey/Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation Transit Assets: Facilities & Equipment, Rail, Rail Rolling Stock Debt, and Technology.
MATCH – Local funds to the New Jersey Transit Corporation needed to match federal funding (Job Access and Reverse Commute and Section 5311).
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) – An official agreement designed to ensure consistency in the administration of programs or projects.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Procedures to modify the Transportation Improvement Program and the Statewide Improvement Program among the South Jersey Transportation Improvement Program, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
METRO-NORTH – Funding to the New Jersey Transit Corporation received from the Metro‐North Commuter Railroad of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) – A geographic area determined by an agreement between the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the area and the governor, in which the metropolitan transportation planning process is carried out.
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) – The policy board of an organization created and designed to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process for urbanized areas with populations greater than 50,000 and designated by local officials and the state’s governor.
Mid-Atlantic Career and Education Center (MASCEC) – A center that provides career and job skill development for disadvantaged and disabled people, focusing on building effective community partnerships.
Milepost (MP) – A post indicating the distance in miles from or to a given point.
Minimum Operable Segment (MOS) – A transportation project’s initial section or operating component.
Minor TIP Amendments – All amendments to the Transportation Improvement Program not defined as Major Amendments (see Major Amendments).
MIRE – Model Inventory of Roadway Elements
MIS – Major Investment Study
Mitigation – Any action taken or not taken to offset environmental or other impacts of proposed transportation improvements.
MOA – Memorandum of Agreement
Mobility and Congestion Relief – One of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s five Core Missions described as projects and programs with a primary focus on maintaining or increasing the movement of passengers and goods. Projects and programs that are not safety or infrastructure preservation, but that improve quality of life.
Mode – A specific form of transportation, such as automobile, subway, bus, rail, air, bicycle, or foot.
Model – A computer-based simulation of the transportation network that generates travel pattern forecasts. The Travel Demand Model is used by the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization in its transportation planning activities.
Model Inventory of Roadway Elements (MIRE) – A recommended listing of roadway characteristics and traffic inventory elements critical to safety management.
MOS – Minimum Operable Segment
Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) – A state-of-the-science emission modeling system that estimates emissions for mobile sources at the national, county, and project levels for criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and air toxics.
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets (MVEBs) – Limits on pollutant levels that projects and programs can emit and still be in compliance with maintenance and/or future attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards limits.
MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
MOVES – Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21 Act) – Signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012, this legislation was a new two-year transportation reauthorization bill that authorized funding for surface transportation programs throughout the nation. The first multi-year transportation authorization bill enacted since 2005 funded programs, such as road and bridge building and repair and transit system upgrades through 2014 at over $105 billion. The multi-year bill assured states that there would be dedicated funding for transportation programs.
MP – Milepost
MPA – Metropolitan Planning Area
MPO – Metropolitan Planning Organization
MT – Mass Transit
MTS – Maritime Transportation System
Multimodal Programs – This New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category includes work that addresses improvements/provisions for alternative modes of transportation. The Multimodal Programs category includes the seven following sub-categories: Bicycle/Pedestrian, Bicycle/Pedestrian Mobility, Ferries, Goods Movement, Intermodal Connections, Maritime, and Other Modes.
MUTCD – Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
MVEBs – Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
N
NAA – Nonattainment Area
NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NACO – National Association of Counties
NAICS – North American Industry Classification System
NARC – National Association of Regional Councils
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) – Federal standards that set allowable concentrations and exposure limits for various pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency established these standards pursuant to section 109 of the Clean Air Act. Air quality standards have been established for the following six criteria pollutants: ozone/smog, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and sulfur dioxide.
National Association of Counties (NACO) – An organization representing the nation’s county governments in Washington, D.C.
National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) – A nonprofit membership organization serving the interests of regional councils and Metropolitan Planning Organizations nationwide. Regional councils are organizations with state and locally defined boundaries that deliver various government programs and still function as planning organizations and technical assistance providers.
National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) – The standards established for the safety inspections of highway bridges on public roads throughout the United States.
National Bridge Inventory (NBI) – Bridge inventory information collected by each state and federal agency, and Tribal government that is reported to the Federal Highway Administration, as requested, in accordance with the National Bridge Inspection Standards reporting requirements (23 CFR 650.315). The resulting information is maintained in the National Bridge Inventory database, which enables state-level and national-level analyses and reporting, supports federal funding programs, and facilitates the identification of freight and defense-critical corridors and connectors.
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) – An act that established requirements for any project using federal funding or requiring federal approval, including transportation projects to examine the effects of proposed and alternative choices on the environment before a federal decision is made.
National Highway Freight Program (NHFP) – A federally-funded, formula-based funding program that supports investments in the National Highway Freight Network across the United States.
National Highway Performance Program (NHPP) – The program provides support to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the condition and performance of the National Highway System, for the construction of new facilities on the National Highway System, and to ensure that investments of federal-aid funds in highway construction are directed to support progress toward the achievement of performance targets established in a state’s asset management plan for the National Highway System.
National Highway System (NHS) – A system consisting of interstate highways and other vital links, such as major state highways.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – An administration with the mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement.
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) – Legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States.
National Performance Management Research Data Set (NPMRDS) – A data set that contains field-observed travel time and speed data collected anonymously from a fleet of probe vehicles (cars and trucks) equipped with mobile devices.
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK) – A government-subsidized public corporation created by Congress in 1970 to operate a national intercity passenger railroad system through contracts with existing railroads.
National Safety Council (NSC) – A 501 nonprofit, public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States.
National Transit Database (NTD) – A database that records the financial, operating, and asset condition of transit systems helping to keep track of the industry and provide public information and statistics.
NBI – National Bridge Inventory
NBIS – National Bridge Inspection Standards
NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
New Jersey Association of Accident Reconstructionists (NJAAR) – An association started in 1991 to promote Traffic Safety through crash investigation, and in so doing, promote the welfare of its members.
New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC) – An advocacy group for New Jersey’s 21 county governments.
New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) – A council that advises on the implementation of the New Jersey Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan, serving as both a resource and key stakeholder in existing and future statewide transportation planning efforts, such as the implementation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Emphasis Area of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
New Jersey Brownfields Interagency Work Group (IAWG) – A forum for federal agencies to exchange information on Brownfields-related activities and to develop a coordinated national agenda for addressing Brownfields.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) – The cabinet-level agency that leads the state’s environmental science, regulatory, research, education, and assessment efforts.
New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) – The state agency responsible for the maintenance, construction, and operation of state and interstate highways.
New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS) – An agency that works to prevent motor vehicle-related crashes and the resulting property damage, injuries, and fatalities on New Jersey’s roadways.
New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) – An independent government entity in New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state’s economic base.
New Jersey Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) – A plan that captures historic disaster experiences and reflects the natural and human-caused hazards New Jersey faces, based on current science and research. The plan outlines a strategy to reduce risks from hazards and serves as the basis for prioritizing future project funding.
New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) – An agency at the local, state, or national level that holds the responsibility of comprehensively planning for and responding to all manner of disasters, whether man-made or natural.
New Jersey Short Line Railroad Association (NJSLRRA) – An organization that addresses issues facing short-line railroads serving New Jersey.
New Jersey State Transportation Innovation Council (NJ STIC) – A council that helps the New Jersey Department of Transportation identify and rapidly deploy proven, yet underutilized innovations to shorten project delivery, enhance safety, reduce congestion, and improve environmental sustainability.
New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy (NJ SCIS) – A plan that lays out the capital investment goals for the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority. The plan discusses the goals and longer-term strategy behind those project choices.
New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT) – New Jersey’s statewide provider of public transportation services, including bus, commuter rail, light rail, and paratransit services.
New Jersey Turnpike – A system of controlled-access highways in New Jersey that is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) – An agency that maintains, operates, and plans the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
NHFP – National Highway Freight Program
NHPA – National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
NHPP – National Highway Performance Program
NHS – National Highway System
NHTSA – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NJ SCIS – New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy
NJ STIC – New Jersey State Transportation Innovation Council
NJ TRANSIT – New Jersey Transit Corporation
NJAAR – New Jersey Association of Accident Reconstructionists
NJAC – New Jersey Association of Counties
NJDEP – New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
NJDHTS – New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety
NJDMV – New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles
NJDOT – New Jersey Department of Transportation
NJEDA – New Jersey Economic Development Authority
NJOEM – New Jersey Office of Emergency Management
NJSLRRA – New Jersey Short Line Railroad Association
NJTA – New Jersey Turnpike Authority
NJTPA – North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle (Non-SOV) – A vehicle with more than one occupant. The Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle measure indicates the number of persons using a travel mode that includes walking, bus, carpool, train, bicycle, taxi, rideshare, and working at home, and excluding those using single-occupancy vehicles.
Non-SOV – Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle
Non-SOV – Non-Single Occupancy Vehicle
Nonattainment Area (NAA) – A geographic region of the United States that has been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Nonattainment Area under section 107 of the Clean Air Act for any pollutants for which a set of National Ambient Air Quality Standards exists, meaning that federal air quality standards are not being met. Regions within Nonattainment Areas are required to ensure that emissions from transportation investments are consistent or in conformity with levels set forth in state air quality plans.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) – A classification of business establishments by type of economic activity.
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) – A Metropolitan Planning Organization for Northern New Jersey, including the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.
NOx – Oxides of Nitrogen
NPMRDS – National Performance Management Research Data Set
NSC – National Safety Council
NTD – National Transit Database
NVHH – Households with No Vehicle
O
O&M – Operations and Maintenance
O3 – Ozone
Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (OHSP) – An office that leads and coordinates New Jersey’s counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness efforts while building resiliency throughout New Jersey.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – An office that oversees the implementation of the President’s vision across the Executive Branch.
Office of Smart Growth (OSG) – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs division that coordinates the implementation of the State Plan and Smart Growth policies across the various state agencies.
OHSP – New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
OMB – Office of Management and Budget
Open Public Records Act (OPRA) – A statute that provides a right to the public to access certain public records in New Jersey and the process by which that right may be exercised.
OPER – Operational Assistance Funding
Operational and Management Strategies – Actions and strategies aimed at improving the performance of existing and planned transportation facilities to relieve congestion and maximize the safety and mobility of people and goods.
Operational Assistance Funding (OPER) – Far box revenue funds to the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) – One of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s five Core Missions described as routine and regular expenditures required to keep the highway surfaces, shoulders, roadsides, structures, and traffic control devices in usable condition; maintain facilities; purchase winter operations equipment, light trucks, cars, and construction equipment; and respond to winter storms and emergencies. This Core Mission also includes administrative operations such as human resources, and budget and accounting, which support more than one of the Core Missions.
OPRA – Open Public Records Act
OSG – Office of Smart Growth
OTHER – Third‐party funds to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation representing funding provided from other sources, including but not limited to, bi‐state and autonomous authorities, private entities, and local governments.
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) – Any of the several oxides of nitrogen, most of which are produced in combustion and are considered to be atmospheric pollutants.
Ozone (O3) – A colorless gas with a sweet odor. It is a secondary pollutant formed when Volatile Organic Compounds and nitrogen oxides combine in the presence of sunlight. It is associated with smog or haze conditions. Although the ozone in the upper atmosphere protects the population from harmful ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone from human and natural sources produces an unhealthy environment in which to live.
P
P.E. – Professional Engineer
P.P. – The P.P. is a professional licensure for planners in New Jersey requiring the passing of a test offered by the New Jersey Board of Professional Planners.
PANYNJ – Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Park-and-Ride – A Park-and-Ride is designated parking areas for automobile drivers who then board buses or trains from these locations.
Particular Matter (PM 2.5) – Fine particulate matter typically produced from the combustion of gasoline, oil, or diesel fuel that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter.
Particulate Matter (PM) – Airborne solid particles and liquid droplets. Particulate Matter may be in the form of fly ash, soot, dust, fog, fumes, etc. These particles are classified as “coarse” if smaller than 10 microns or “fine” if smaller than 2.5 microns. Coarse airborne particles are produced either during grinding operations or from the physical disturbance of dust by natural air turbulence processes, such as wind. Fine particles, such as in diesel and bus engines, can be a by-product of fossil fuel combustion. Fine particles can easily reach remote lung areas, and their presence in the lungs is linked to severe respiratory ailments, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and aggravated coughing. Exposure to these particles may exacerbate other medical conditions, such as heart disease and emphysema, and may cause premature death. In the environment, particulate matter contributes to diminished visibility and particle deposition (soiling).
PATCO – Port Authority Transit Corporation
PATH – Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation
Pavement and Bridge Condition Performance Measures (PM 2) – Measures that establish the process for State Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to establish and report their pavement and bridge targets, and the process that the Federal Highway Administration will use to assess whether State Departments of Transportation have met or made significant progress toward meeting their targets.
Pavement Condition Index (PCI) – A numerical index between 0 and 100, which is used to indicate the general condition of a pavement.
Pavement Management System (PMS) – A set of tools or methods that can assist decision-makers in finding cost-effective strategies for providing, evaluating, and maintaining pavements in a serviceable condition. It provides the information necessary to make these decisions.
PBPP – Performance-Based Planning and Programming
PCI – Pavement Condition Index
PD/LPD – Preliminary Design
PDA Suite – Probe Data Analytics Suite
PE – Preliminary Engineering
Peak Hour Excessive Delay (PHED) – The extra time spent traveling due to congestion, which is expressed as the number of hours per year per capita. The threshold for the excessive delay is based on the travel time at 20 miles per hour or 60% of the posted speed limit travel time. The greater value is measured in 15-minute intervals.
PennDOT – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) – A department that oversees programs and policies affecting highways, urban and rural public transportation, airports, railroads, ports, and waterways. More than three-quarters of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s annual budget is invested in Pennsylvania’s approximately 121,000 miles of state and local highways and 32,000 state and local bridges. PennDOT is directly responsible for nearly 40,000 miles of highway and roughly 25,400 bridges, a system first established in 1911.
Performance Measures – Indicators of how well the transportation system is performing with regard to such measures as average speed, travel reliability, and crash rates. Performance Measures are used as feedback in the decision-making process.
Performance-Based Planning and Programming (PBPP) – A system-level, data-driven process to identify strategies and investments in a long-range regional transportation plan and/or Transportation Improvement Program. Projects, programs, strategies, and investments are programmed with the intent of meeting specific performance goals that can be characterized as “specific measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.”
Person-miles Traveled (PMT) – A standard measure of mobility that combines the number and length of trips.
PHED – Peak Hour Excessive Delay
PHFN – Primary Highway Freight Network
PIAs – Planning and Implementation Agreements
PIP – Public Involvement Plan
PL/PL-FTA – Planning Funds
Planning and Implementation Agreements (PIAs) – The formal agreement written by a municipality that outlines the ongoing implementation and monitoring actions that the municipality will take to ensure that its actions and policies remain consistent with the State Development and Redevelopment Plan.
Planning Funds (PL/PL-FTA)
Federal-aid funds provided to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the federally-mandated transportation planning process conducted within each Metropolitan Planning Organization. These funds are the principal revenue source for the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization operation and other Unified Planning Work Program components.
Planning Study (PLS) – A phase or type of work involving traffic studies needs analyses, corridor studies, and other work preparatory to project development.
Planning Time Index (PTI) – The total travel time that should be planned when an adequate buffer time is included.
Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) – The Final Engineering documents produced during the Design phase of a project that contain all of the Construction details and are made part of the bid documents.
PLS – Planning Study
PM – Particulate Matter
PM 1/Safety PM Rule – Safety Performance Management Measures Rule
PM 2 – Pavement and Bridge Condition Performance Measures
PM 2.5 – Particular Matter, 2.5 particle size
PM 3 – System Performance Measures
PMRS – Project Management & Reporting System
PMS – Pavement Management System
PMT – Person-miles Traveled
Policy Board – The governing body of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. The Policy Board 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 Corporation, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) – A self-supporting public corporation that develops and operates trade and transportation facilities in New York and New Jersey within a 25-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty.
As a funding category, funds are provided to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) – A 13.8-mile (22.2 km) rapid transit system in the northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, as well as Lower and Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) – Operates the PATCO Hi-Speed Line, commonly referred to as PATCO, Speedline, or the Lindenwold Line, a rapid transit heavy rail system serving center city Philadelphia and Camden County, New Jersey. It was the first rapid transit system in the United States to fully utilize Automatic Train Control and Automatic Fare Collection.
POV – Households in Poverty
PPA – Preliminary Preferred Alternative
PRAC – Puerto Rican Action Committee
PRD – Project Development
Preliminary Design (PD/LPD) – A phase of work that refers to the beginning phase of the project development process involved in developing project concepts and alternatives, including advancing preliminary engineering and obtaining formal community and environmental approval of the Initially Preferred Alternative. PD denotes Preliminary Design by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. LPD denotes Local Preliminary Design by a local entity (e.g., Metropolitan Planning Organization, county, or municipality).
Preliminary Engineering (PE/LPE) – A phase of work that involves performing engineering tasks and technical environmental studies to obtain formal community consensus on the study and to secure the approval of the environmental document. PE denotes the New Jersey Department of Transportation Preliminary Engineering phase. LPE denotes Local Preliminary Engineering by a local entity (e.g., Metropolitan Planning Organization, county, or municipality).
Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) – The alternative selected after completion of the Concept Development phase of work that is determined to best accomplish the purpose and need of the proposed effort.
Primary Highway Freight Network (PHFN) – A network of highways identified as the most critical highway portions of the United State’s freight transportation system determined by measurable and objective national data.
Probe Data Analytics Suite (PDA Suite) – A program that allows agencies to support operations, planning, analysis, research, and performance measures generation using probe data mixed with other agency transportation data.
Problem Screening (PS) – A phase of work that is the entrance into the delivery process for any potential project. The purpose of the phase is to investigate a potential transportation problem. A potential problem is developed into a Problem Statement and submitted to Capital Investment Strategies.
Professional Engineer (P.E.) – An engineer licensed by a state board of registration to practice engineering. To become a Professional Engineer a person must earn a four-year degree in engineering from an accredited engineering program, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, complete four years of progressive engineering experience under a Professional Engineer, and pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.
Professional Planner (P.P.) – A professional licensure for planners in New Jersey requiring the passing of a test offered by the New Jersey Board of Professional Planners. To become a Professional Planner, a person must meet certain minimum education experience and full-time experience in the “practice of professional planning,” pass the Planning-in-Training exam, and pass the New Jersey Planning Law Exam and the American Institute of Certified Planners Exam.
Project Delivery (PRD) – A phase or type of work used by the New Jersey Transit Corporation, which is intended to develop feasible project proposals that produce the best balance among transportation needs, environmental values, public concerns, and costs.
Project Delivery Process – The process by which the New Jersey Department of Transportation evaluates, plans, designs, and constructs capital projects. The process aligns with the Federal Highway Administration’s requirements to use a formal process to obtain approval and access to federal funding. It controls and simplifies the process by which federal approval and funding are obtained. The NJDOT process in order of occurrence includes Problem Screening, Concept Development, Preliminary Engineering, Final Design, and Construction.
Project Management & Reporting System (PMRS) – The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s electronic, automated system for project management, accounting, contracting, and other functions.
Project Pipeline – The multi-step project development process from problem statement through construction and completion. The New Jersey Department of Transportation uses four parallel pipelines depending on the size and complexity of a particular project.
Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Formula Program (PROTECT) – A program that helps make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through the support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure.
PS – Problem Screening
PS&E – Plans, Specifications, and Estimates
PSEG – Public Service Enterprise Group
PTASP – Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
PTI – Planning Time Index
PTSAP – Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
Pub. Law – Public Law
Public Involvement Plan (PIP) – A plan that documents the rules the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization will follow and identifies methods it will employ in its efforts to ensure that planning efforts include the public to the greatest degree reasonably possible. It is reviewed annually and updated on an as-needed basis.
Public Law (Pub. Law) – The part of the law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, different branches of governments, and relationships between persons that directly concern society.
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) – A publicly traded diversified energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, and was established in 1985 with a legacy dating back to 1903.
Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTSAP) – A documented comprehensive agency safety plan that is required by certain operators of public transportation systems that receive federal funds under the Federal Transit Administration’s Urbanized Area Formula Grants. The safety plan includes the processes and procedures to implement Safety Management Systems.
Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program (Section 5324) – This New Jersey Transit Corporation funding category assists states and public transportation systems with emergency‐related expenses. Emergencies are defined as natural disasters affecting a wide area or a catastrophic failure from an external cause for which the governor of a state has declared an emergency or the President has declared a major disaster. The program funds capital projects to protect, repair, reconstruct or replace equipment and facilities. It also funds transit agency operating costs related to evacuation, rescue operations, temporary public transportation service, or changing public transportation route service before, during, or after an emergency in an area directly affected.
Puerto Rican Action Committee (PRAC) – A nonprofit agency that provides social services and educational and cultural programs to Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations, primarily in Cape May and Salem Counties.
Q
Quality of Life – A project category classification that includes work designed to enhance the environment associated with or impacted by transportation improvements. Program categories within this classification include transportation enhancements, noise walls, landscape, air quality, signs, wetland mitigation, and rest areas.
R
Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Program (RHC) – A federal funding category provided to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and is intended to develop and implement safety improvement projects to reduce the number and severity of crashes at public highway‐rail grade crossings. Eligible activities include signing and pavement markings at crossings, active warning devices, crossing surface improvements, sight distance improvements, grade separations, and the closing and consolidation of crossings.
RAISE – Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant Program
Raised Pavement Markers (RPMs) – Reflectors on roads provided for safety purposes. The reflectors can be made up of ceramic, plastic, fiber, metal, concrete, glass, steel, etc., of various shapes and sizes.
Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant Program (RAISE) – A Discretionary Grant program that allows the United States Department of Transportation to invest in road, rail, transit, and port projects that help to achieve a defined set of national objectives.
Record of Decision (ROD) – The official record resulting from an Environmental Impact Statement.
Recreational Trails Program (RTP) – An allocated to the New Jersey Department of Transportation that provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for various trail projects. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry, is the program administrator.
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) – A cooperative, market-based effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia to cap and reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector. The initiative represents the first cap-and-invest regional initiative implemented in the United States.
Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) – The “top-level” plan of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization that guides planning activities and investment decisions. It provides the long-term vision for the regional transportation system and identifies the goals and strategies needed to meet the system’s needs. It is updated every five years.
Request for Proposal (RFP) – A business document that announces a project, describes it, and solicits bids from qualified contractors to complete it.
RFP – Request for Proposal
RGGI – Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
RHC – Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Program
RHC – Rail-Highway Grade Crossings Program
RHC-FLEX – Rail-Highway Grade Crossings Program, flex funding, not allocated to a specific population area
Right-of-Way (ROW) – A phase or type of work denoting land, property, or interest therein, usually in a strip acquired for or devoted to transportation purposes.
Road Assets – A New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category that includes projects which are designed to keep the existing highway system functioning and in a State of Good Repair, including work that upgrades segments of the system to current design standards (e.g., safety treatments that are part of a general roadway project such as signs, guide rail, barrier curb, traffic signals as opposed to individual line‐item programs that exclusively include signs or traffic signals only).
Roadway Preservation – A project category classification includes work designed to keep the existing highway system functioning and in a State of Good Repair, including work that upgrades segments of the system to current design standards. Program categories within this classification include highway rehabilitation and reconstruction, highway resurfacing, highway capital maintenance, drainage, truck size and weight control, pavement management system, and dams.
ROD – Record of Decision
ROW – Right-of-Way
RPMs – Raised Pavement Markers
RTP – Recreational Trails Program
RTP – Regional Transportation Plan
S
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) – A program that encourages more walking and biking to school through education and promotional activities, as well as engineering improvements to create a safer walking and biking environment.
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA-LU) – A federal transportation bill signed into law by President George W. Bush that authorized the federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 5-year period from 2005 through 2009.
SAFETEA-LU – Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
Safety – One of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s five Core Missions described as projects and programs with a primary focus on improving public health and safety of motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and other users of the transportation network by reducing transportation‐related fatalities and injuries.
As a Project Category, this classification includes work that is designed to improve safety for the traveling public on the existing highway system. Program categories within this classification include safety improvements, safety management, and safety capital maintenance.
Safety Management – This New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category includes safety programs aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of crashes and promoting the all-around approach of Safety First. Safety First is further reflected in several other New Jersey Department of Transportation-supported projects that enhance safety and reduce crashes. The Road Assets category includes the six following subcategories: Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety, Rockfall Mitigation, Safety Capital Maintenance, Safety Capital Maintenance Operations and Maintenance, Safety Improvements, and Safety Management.
Safety Performance Management Measures Rule (PM 1/Safety PM Rule) – A rule that establishes requirements for safety performance measures and targets for the purposes of carrying out the Highway Safety Improvement Program. The measures and targets are centered on numbers and rates of serious injuries and fatalities, respectively, on all public roads.
SCDRTAP – Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program
SCIS – Statewide Capital Investment Strategy
SDI – Surface Distress Index
SDRP – State Development and Redevelopment Plan
Section 5307 – Urbanized Area Formula Program
Section 5310 – Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities
Section 5311 – Formula Grants for Rural Areas
Section 5324 – Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program
Section 5326 – Transit Asset Management
Section 5337 – State of Good Repair Grants
Section 5339 – Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Grant Program
Section 5340 – Growing States/High Density States Program
Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program (SCDRTAP) – A program that provides accessibility and mobility for the state’s senior citizen population and persons with disabilities. The program is funded by a portion of the tax paid by the state’s casino gaming revenues and is allocated to the counties for transit operating, administrative and capital expenses related to county-run transportation services for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
SFHA – Special Flood Hazard Area
SGR – State of Good Repair
Short-Line Railroads – Small railroads that provide links between major rail freight companies and industries.
SHSP – Strategic Highway Safety Plan
SI@TCNJ – Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey
SIB – State Infrastructure Bank
Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) – Motor vehicles occupied by the driver only (excludes motorcycles).
SIP – State Implementation Plan
SJEDD – South Jersey Economic Development District
SJPC – South Jersey Port Corporation
SJTA – South Jersey Transportation Authority
SJTDM – South Jersey Travel Demand Model
SJTPO – South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization
Smart Growth – Well-planned and well-managed growth that adds new homes and creates new jobs, while preserving open space, farmland, and environmental resources. It supports livable neighborhoods with a variety of housing types, price ranges, and multi-modal forms of transportation.
SMS – Safety Management System
SOGR – State of Good Repair
Sources (Pollution) – The origin of air contaminants, which can be a point source (coming from a defined site) or a nonpoint source (coming from many diffuse sources). Stationary sources include large, fixed facilities, such as power plants, chemical process industries, and petroleum refineries. Area sources are small, static, non-transportation sources that collectively contribute to air pollution, including dry cleaners and bakeries, surface coating operations, home furnaces, and crop burning. Mobile sources include on-road vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and buses, and off-road sources, such as trains, ships, airplanes, boats, lawnmowers, and construction equipment. Common mobile source-related pollutants are carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and Particulate Matter.
South Jersey Economic Development District (SJEDD) – A federally funded regional agency established in 1979 to promote economic development in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties, complementing and coordinating county and state development initiatives.
South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) – An independent public port authority that operates the ports along the eastern banks of the Delaware River in the Delaware Valley region of southern New Jersey.
South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) – An authority established by the State Legislature in June 1991 to assume operational responsibilities for the Atlantic City Expressway, Atlantic City International Airport terminal, and parking facilities in Atlantic City. It serves the counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.
South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) – The Metropolitan Planning Organization for the New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem.
South Jersey Travel Demand Model (SJTDM) – A computer-based modeling program that utilizes numerous inputs, including demographic information (e.g., population and employment) and transportation networks (e.g., roads and transit lines) to simulate future conditions. It is specific to the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization.
SOV – Single Occupancy Vehicle
SPC – State Planning Commission
Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) – An area identified by the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency with a special flood or mudflow, and/or flood-related erosion hazard, as shown on a flood hazard boundary map or flood insurance rate map.
SPR/SPR-FTA – State Planning and Research Funds
Sprawl – The unlimited outward expansion of suburbs characterized by low-density residential and commercial development, unchecked land development, and dominance of transportation by autos.
SRTS – Safe Routes to School
STATE – The funding category is used to show the disposition of funding to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation received from the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund.
State Aid – This funding category includes money allocated to each county based on a specific statutory and regulatory formula. Funding is available through the State Transportation Trust Fund.
State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP) – Enacted in 1986 by the State Legislature, the plan is intended to control the unplanned “suburban sprawl” overtaking many parts of the state by influencing the intensities and locations of development and redevelopment.
State Implementation Plan (SIP) – A plan produced by the state Environmental Protection Agency to monitor, control, maintain, and enforce compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. It must also be taken into account in the transportation planning process.
State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) – A revolving fund mechanism for financing various highway and transit projects through loans and credit enhancement. It is designed to complement traditional federal-aid highway and transit grants by providing states increased flexibility for financing infrastructure investments.
State of Good Repair (SOGR) – Safe, fully functional, not in need of repair, and meeting or exceeding the minimum threshold for the Department of Transportation standards or other applicable regulations or standards.
State of Good Repair Grants Program (Section 5337) – This New Jersey Transit Corporation funding category is dedicated to repairing and upgrading the nation’s rail transit systems, along with high-intensity motor bus systems that use high-occupancy vehicle lanes, including Bus Rapid Transit. This program replaces the Fixed Guideway Modernization Program (Section 5309). Projects under Section 5337 are limited to replacement and rehabilitation, or capital projects required to maintain public transportation systems in a State of Good Repair. Projects must be included in a Transit Asset Management Plan to receive funding.
State Planning and Research Funds (SPR/SPR-FTA) – This New Jersey Department of Transportation funding category requires a percentage of funds allocated to states for highway improvements to be devoted to planning and research activities.
State Planning Commission (SPC) – A 17-member group representing state government, local government, and the public on statewide planning issues. The commission works with the Office of Smart Growth to further state planning goals.
Statewide Capital Investment Strategy (SCIS) – A requirement of the Transportation Trust Fund statute (NJSA 27: 1B-22), the Statewide Capital Investment Strategy lays out capital investment goals for, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and South Jersey Transportation Authority.
Statewide Investment (SWI) – A designation by the New Jersey Transit Corporation under Capital Acquisition to describe a series of smaller projects in multiple locations or in multiple phases of work that address mobility issues.
Statewide Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (STRCC) – A group of representatives from federal, state, and local agencies working in the traffic education, enforcement, or engineering fields and who deal directly with motor vehicle crashes and the resulting issues.
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) – A statewide prioritized listing of transportation projects covering a period of four years that is consistent with the long-range statewide transportation plan, Regional Transportation Plan, and Transportation Improvement Program. It is required for projects to be eligible for funding under title 23 U.S.C. and title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
STB – Surface Transportation Board
STBGP – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides funding under the following suballocations – Transportation Alternatives, Flex Funding, population-specific, and Off-system Bridge. Funds are used for projects to preserve and improve the condition of any Federal Aid highway, bridge, or tunnel on any public road, or transit, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure project.
STBGP-AC – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides funds to urbanized areas of the state with a population exceeding 200,000 persons.
STBGP-B5K200K – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides funds to areas of the state with a population of 5,001 persons and not exceeding a population of 200,000 persons.
STBGP-FLEX – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides funds to anywhere in the state at the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s discretion.
STBGP-L5K – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program provides funds to areas of the state with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons and allocates obligation on roads functionally classified as minor collectors or the construction of a bridge or tunnel at a new location on a functionally classified rural minor collector.
STBGP-OS-BRDG – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program Off-system Bridge provides funds to a highway bridge located on a public road that is not a federal-aid highway that needs rehabilitation or replacement.
STBGP-TA – The Surface Transportation Block Grant Program Transportation Alternatives provides funding for smaller-scale transportation projects, such as pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity, and construction of turnouts, overlooks, and viewing areas.
STIP – Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
STP – Surface Transportation Program
STP-TE – Surface Transportation Program-Transit Enhancements, a program under the flexible funding for Transit and Highway Improvements
STPNJ – Surface Transportation Program of New Jersey
Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) – A statewide-coordinated safety plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. It identifies a state’s critical safety needs and guides investment decisions toward strategies and countermeasures with the most potential to save lives and prevent injuries.
Strategic Mobility – This project category classification includes work that adds to the capacity of the transportation system through major capital construction. Under this heading are projects listed as missing links, major widening, and economic development.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis (SWOT Analysis) – A strategic planning and strategic management technique used to help a person or organization identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to project planning.
STRUCTURE NO – Structure Number
Structure Number (STRUCTURE NO) – A unique seven (7) digit number assigned to new structure types, including highway-carrying bridges, high mast light poles, overhead sign structures, pedestrian bridges, railroad-carrying bridges, and dams.
Surface Distress Index (SDI) – A measure that was developed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to support pavement treatment selection and long-term analysis. Surface Distress Index uses observation of surface distresses to rate pavement conditions. It is a composite index that considers structural and nonstructural distress that can be observed at the pavement surface, including cracking, patching, shoulder deterioration, shoulder drop, faulting, joint deterioration, and running.
Surface Transportation Board (STB) – A federal agency that adjudicates, disputes, and regulates federal interstate surface transportation, including trucking, rail freight, ocean shipping, interstate buses, and other modes.
Surface Transportation Program (STP) – A federal-aid highway funding program that supports a broad range of surface transportation capital needs, including many roads, transit, sea and airport access, vanpool, bike, and pedestrian facilities.
Surface Transportation Program of New Jersey (STPNJ) – A funding program that provides flexible funding that may be used by the state and localities for projects on any federal-aid highway, including the National Highway System, bridge projects on any public road, transit capital projects, and intracity and intercity bus terminals and facilities.
Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey (SI@TCNJ) – A “think and do” tank that manages a number of cutting-edge research and outreach programs focused on sustainable development, including the award-winning Sustainable Jersey Certification Program and numerous federal and state grant-funded projects.
SWI – Statewide Investment
SWOT Analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis
System Expansion – Infrastructure projects that will physically add capacity to the existing transportation network.
System Management – Projects and programs that optimize the performance of the existing transportation network.
System Preservation – Projects and programs that rehabilitate or replace aging infrastructure without expanding the system.
T
TA Set-Aside – The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program provides federal funds for community-based “non-traditional” surface transportation projects designed to strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of the nation’s intermodal system. Eligible activities are broadly defined and with respect to transit include construction, planning, and design of infrastructure-related projects and systems that will provide safe routes for non‐drivers, including children, older adults, individuals with disabilities to access daily needs, and historic preservation and rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities.
TA-B5K200K – The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program provides funds to areas in the state with populations between 5,000 and 200,000.
TA-L5K – The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program provides funds to areas with populations less than 5,000.
TA-RTP – The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside provides funds to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized and motorized recreational trail uses.
TAC – Technical Advisory Committee
TAM – Transit Asset Management
TAMP – Transportation Asset Management Plan
TAZ – Traffic Analysis Zone
TBD – To Be Determined
TCAMs – Transportation Clean Air Measures
TCI – Transportation and Climate Initiative
TCMs – Transportation Control Measures
TDM – Transportation Demand Management
TEA-21 – Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) – A thirteen-member committee that provides input to the Policy Board and consists of the staff of each Policy Board member, as well as representatives of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Other agencies are also invited to participate in the Technical Advisory Committee.
Technical Review Committee (TRC) – A committee of technical experts that reviews the technical merits of projects and determines project eligibility for funding.
Telecommuting – Employment utilizing electronic communications (by telephone, computer, fax, etc.) with a physical office, either from home or from another site, instead of traveling to and working in the office.
TERM – Transit Economic Requirements Model
TEU – Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit
TIFIA – Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998
TIP – Transportation Improvement Program
TIP Amendments – Amendments that are required when adding a new project (or program), deleting a project (or program), when there is a significant change to the project design concept or scope that would require a new air quality conformity analysis, and when a project (or program) is being moved forward from the fourth or fifth years of the TIP into the first year. An amendment is as defined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
TIP Modifications – Modifications to the Transportation Improvement Program, as defined in a Memorandum of Understanding between the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Transit Corporation, as amended and supplemented that are of less significance than an amendment. Modifications are usually processed administratively by the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization Executive Director upon consultation with the counties.
Title VI Implementation Plan – A plan that details the assurances and procedures that the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization and its subrecipients of federal funds must follow to adhere to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ensure that no persons are excluded from participation based on their race, color, or national origin. It is reviewed annually and updated on an as-need basis.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – One of the principal laws that serves as the foundation for the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization’s public involvement outreach. This act states, “No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any programs or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
TJ – Transportation Justice
TMA – Transportation Management Area
TMAs – Transportation Management Associations
TMC – Traffic Message Channel
To Be Determined (TBD) – Funding to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has not yet been determined for the unconstrained years of the Capital Program.
TOCS – Traffic Operations Center South
TOD – Transit-Oriented Development
Total Vehicle Revenue Miles (TVRM) – The miles a vehicle travels, including revenue service and deadhead miles, while excluding miles for a charter service, school bus service, operator training, or vehicle maintenance testing.
TPM – Transportation Performance Measurement
Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) – The unit of geography most commonly used in conventional transportation planning models.
Traffic Calming – Changes in street alignments, installation of barriers, and other physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through volumes to improve street safety and livability.
Traffic Message Channel (TMC) – A technology for delivering traffic and travel information to motor vehicle drivers.
Traffic Operations Center South (TOCS) – The New Jersey Department of Transportation operates two Traffic Operation Centers in New Jersey that manage the flow of traffic on the highways and provide a coordinated response for traffic incidents statewide. The South facility is located in Cherry Hill, with coverage provided to the southern region counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem counties.
Transit Asset Management (Section 5326) – This New Jersey Transit Corporation funding category is also known as Transit Asset Management. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act requires the Federal Transit Administration to define the term State of Good Repair and create objective standards for measuring the condition of capital assets, including equipment, rolling stock, infrastructure, and facilities. All Federal Transit Administration grantees and their subrecipients are required to develop transit asset management plans. The Federal Transit Administration will support this effort through technical assistance, including the development of an analytical process or decision support tool that allows recipients to estimate their capital investment needs over time and assists with asset investment prioritization.
Transit Asset Management (TAM) – A model that utilizes the condition of assets to guide the prioritization of funding to uphold the repair standard for transit networks.
Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM) – A capital analysis tool used to assess the current physical condition and future investment needs of the nation’s transit assets. The Transit Economic Requirements Model is used by transit agencies to report the conditions of transit facilities in the National Transit Database.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) – This New Jersey Transit Corporation funding category creates a new discretionary pilot program for Transit-Oriented Development planning grants. Eligible activities include comprehensive planning in corridors with new rail, bus rapid transit, or core capacity projects.
Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) – A regional collaboration of 13 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. The participating jurisdictions are Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.
Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) – A plan for managing the asset base over a period of time in order to deliver the agreed-upon Levels of Service and Performance Targets in the most cost-effective way. Under the current infrastructure bill, each state is required to develop a risk-based TAMP for the National Highway System to improve or preserve the condition of the assets and the performance of the system.
Transportation Clean Air Measures (TCAMs) – Measures intended to reduce transportation-related emissions, including clean vehicle technology and diesel retrofits, anti-idling strategies, vehicle travel reduction, and public outreach programs.
Transportation Conformity – A complex and technical process that documents the demonstration of transportation conformity for projects and programs with the Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program. To make this determination, air quality emissions are measured against the current 8-hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The Transportation Conformity determination is updated every five years.
Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) – Strategies that reduce transportation-related air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and fuel use by reducing vehicle miles traveled and improving roadway operations.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) – A program designed to reduce demand for transportation through various means, such as the use of public transit and alternative work hours.
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century of 1998 (TEA-21) – Legislated in 1998 and authorized approximately $217 billion in federal funding for transportation investment for fiscal years 1998 through 2003. Funding was used for highway, transit, and other surface transportation programs.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) – A list of surface transportation projects and programs reflecting the major investments in the region over a minimum of four years. It is updated every two years and can be amended in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Association, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Transit Corporation.
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA) – A federal credit program under which the Department of Transportation may provide three forms of credit assistance — secured (direct) loans, loan guarantees, and standby lines of credit – for surface transportation projects of national or regional significance. The fundamental goal is to leverage federal funds by attracting substantial private and non-federal co-investment in critical improvements to the nation’s surface transportation system.
Transportation Justice (TJ) – All communities have access to a safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable transportation system that connects them to the places, people, and resources they need to thrive.
Transportation Management Area (TMA) – An urbanized area with a population of 200,000 or more, as defined by the United States Bureau of the Census and designated by the Secretary of Transportation, or any additional area where Transportation Management Area designation is requested by the Governor and the Metropolitan Planning Organization and designated by the United States Secretary of Transportation.
Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) – Organizations established to work with employers to help provide more effective transportation options. Transportation Management Associations promote ridesharing and transit use, among other activities.
Transportation Performance Measurement (TPM) – A strategic approach that uses system information to make investment and policy decisions to achieve national performance goals. The Transportation Performance Measurement framework focuses on seven national goal areas: safety, infrastructure condition, congestion reduction, system reliability, freight movement and economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and reduced project delivery delays.
Transportation Research Board (TRB) – A division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance.
Transportation Support Facilities Assets – This New Jersey Statewide Capital Investment Strategy category includes projects designed to preserve, maintain, and improve physical plant infrastructure including office buildings, rest areas, maintenance facilities, toll plazas, and existing park and ride locations. Bus stops and train stations are included under Mass Transit Assets. The Transportation Support Facilities category includes the two following sub-categories: Facilities and Equipment, and New Jersey Transit Corporation Facilities and Equipment.
Transportation System Management (TSM) – Initiatives designed to create the more efficient use of existing transportation facilities through improved infrastructure management and operation.
Transportation Systems Management and Operation (TSM&A) – A set of strategies that focus on operational improvements that can maintain and even restore the performance of the existing transportation system before extra capacity is needed.
Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) – A funding program established by state law to fund transportation programs and initiatives, with revenues from fuel taxes and other sources.
Travel Demand Model – A computer-based simulation of the transportation network that generates travel pattern forecasts. The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization uses the Travel Demand Model in its transportation planning activities.
Travel Time Index (TTI) – The ratio of the travel time during the peak period to the time required to make the same trip at free-flow speeds.
Travel Time Reliability (TTR) – The consistency or dependability in travel times, as measured from day to day and/or across different times of the day.
TRB – Transportation Research Board
TRC – Technical Review Committee
Truck Travel Time Reliability Index (TTTR) – The 95th percentile truck travel time divided by the 50th percentile truck travel time using data from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Performance Management Research Data Set or equivalent.
Trust Fund – A fund credited with receipts held in trust by the government and earmarked by law for use in carrying out specific purposes and programs by an agreement or a statute.
TSM – Transportation System Management
TTF – Transportation Trust Fund
TTI – Travel Time Index
TTR – Travel Time Reliability
TTTR – Truck Travel Time Reliability Index
TVRM – Total Vehicle Revenue Miles
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) – The standardized unit for measuring container capacity on ships, railcars, etc.
U
ULB – Useful Life Benchmark
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) – The plan that serves as the budget for the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. It describes all transportation and planning-related activities to be conducted by staff, subregional partners, and member agencies during the state fiscal year, effective July 1 to June 30. It is updated annually.
Unique Project Code (UPC) – A specific project identifier, established by the New Jersey Department of Transportation when a new project is created.
United States Code (USC) – The official compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal statutes.
United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) – A federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States.
United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) – The primary federal agency that develops and coordinates policies on the national transportation system. The United States Department of Transportation includes the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) – An agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health.
UPC – Unique Project Code
UPWP – Unified Planning Work Program
Urbanized Area (UZA) – A geographic area with a population of 50,000 or more, as designated by the United States Bureau of the Census.
Urbanized Area Formula Program (Section 5307) – Makes federal resources available to urbanized areas and to governors for transit capital and operating assistance in urbanized areas and for transportation-related planning.
USC – United States Code
USDOJ – United States Department of Justice
USDOT – United States Department of Transportation
Useful Life Benchmark (ULB) – The expected lifecycle of a capital asset.
USEPA – United States Environmental Protection Agency
UTIL – Utility
Utility (UTIL) – A phase of work when relocation work associated with a project must be programmed separately from the Construction phase of work.
V
Value Pricing (Also Congestion Pricing) – A term that refers to transportation tolls, fares, or other charges that vary with the level of travel demand and is intended to help optimize the transportation system’s efficiency.
Variable Message Sign (VMS) – An electronic traffic sign that is often used to give travelers information about emergencies, special events, construction, speed limits, etc.
Vehicle Hours Traveled (VHT) – The total vehicle hours expended traveling on the roadway network in a specified area during a specified period.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) – A measurement equal to one vehicle traveling a distance of one mile. It estimates congestion, fuel consumption, and a host of other critical transportation-related factors.
Vehicle Source Type Population (VPOP) – A major input to the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator emissions model, defined as the number and type of vehicles operating in the area.
VHT – Vehicle Hours Traveled
Visualization Techniques – A term that refers to methods used by states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to promote an improved understanding of existing or proposed transportation plans and programs for the benefit of members of the public, elected and appointed officials, and other stakeholders. Visualization techniques can include maps, pictures, and other displays.
Vital Document – A document that helps residents and stakeholders understand the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization’s purpose and importance in the four-county region and is proactively translated into Spanish and translated into other languages upon request.
VMS – Variable Message Sign
VMT – Vehicle Miles Traveled
VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – Compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility.
VPOP – Vehicle Source Type Population
VTC – Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center
W
WHTC – William J. Hughes Technical Center
William J. Hughes Technical Center (WHTC) – An aviation research and development and test and evaluation facility.
WILMAPCO – Wilmington Area Planning Council
Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) – The regional transportation planning agency for New Castle County, Delaware, and Cecil County, Maryland.