Over $8.1 million in federal funds has been approved for safety improvements in Jersey City, specifically involving 33 intersections along Summit Avenue from Route 139 to Secaucus Road.
The project, funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), will include upgraded traffic signals at 19 intersections, pedestrian signal upgrades, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and other improvements along the 1.5-mile corridor.
The Summit Avenue project, which is one of 19 safety improvements totaling $188.3 million across the NJTPA region, was approved by the NJTPA Board of Trustees at its March 13, 2023, meeting. Summit Avenue is identified on the High Injury Network in Jersey City’s Vision Zero Action Plan. “Modernizing the intersections to be safer and operate more efficiently will build upon our broader Vision Zero efforts citywide, furthering our commitment to reach zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the City’s representative to the NJTPA Board.
“With two nearby parks and several schools in the vicinity, these improvements are especially important to help keep residents of all ages safe.” As has become the Fulop Administration’s standard policy, the project’s preliminary and final design phases will include multiple public engagement sessions to solicit community feedback. The design phase is expected to begin later this year.
The Local Safety Program funds high-impact, cost-effective solutions to reduce crashes and improve safety for all travelers.
More information on the programs is available online at www.njtpa.org/LocalSafety. Project factsheets are available at https://www.njtpa.org/2022LocalSafety.
Funding approved for the programs doubled from the previous program cycle in 2020. “The increases are the result of highly successful partnerships between the NJTPA and its member county and city governments to deliver vitally important projects on our local roads,” said Passaic County Commissioner John W. Bartlett, the current Chair of the NJTPA.
“This federal support helps free up local dollars, state aid, and municipal aid for other priorities.”
The NJTPA is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties. Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers, and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region’s current and future transportation needs.
It establishes the region’s eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.
The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the 13 counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren) and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the President & CEO of NJ TRANSIT, the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizens’ Representative appointed by the Governor.
