Make A Difference - Comment on the NJ Transportation Improvement Program for the DVRPC Region

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Greater Philadelphia Region and and includes Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer Counties. They have opened the public comment period for the draft New Jersey Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) that will close at 5 p.m., July 5, 2011. The public comment period for the draft Transportation Conformity (with EPA Air Quality Standards) finding will open on June 21, 2011 and close at 5 p.m., July 20, 2011.

The TIP is the regionally agreed-upon list of priority transportation projects, as required by federal law. Transportation conformity is the process that ensures that plans and programs receiving federal aid are consistent with the region's air quality goals. All transportation projects that use federal money that has been allocated for the next 3 years is included in the TIP including bike/ped projects. The DVRPC NJ TIP is a subset of the NJDOT Capital Program

There will be a public meeting and information session on the Draft FY 2012 TIP for NJ and the Draft Transportation Conformity finding between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. on:

Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Cherry Hill Library
1100 Kings Highway North
Cherry Hill, NJ

View map in a larger window

You can click on the map markers to find out project details and submit comments. The 5 Bike/Ped projects included are colored blue.

Some things to note:

• Bike/Ped projects represent less than $8 Million - a tiny fraction of the total highway spending of $1.1 Billion (plus $800 Million for PATCO and NJ TRANSIT)
• One highway capacity expansion project (Route 295/42, Missing Moves, Bellmawr) is projected to cost $133 million.
• Some bike elements may included in some projects such as the Route 45 improvement project in Woodbury.
• If you are going to make one general comment on all the projects it should be that all projects should conform to New Jersey DOT's complete streets policy.