Wednesday, October 7, 1998 Background
During the September 14, 1998 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board meeting, two concerned citicens suggested the existence of active pians to build a continuous north-south arterial highway that would run along the Hudson River waterfront in Bergen and Hudson Counties. Such plans were suggested to involve transportation improvements in the municipalities of Edgewater, North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne (refer to the attached map). This corridor covers about 18 miles.
The citizens' assertion is based on various projects and proposals that, when put on a map, appear to constitute a continuous arterial roadway. They specifically suggested that NJTFA should consider conducting a corridor examination, such as a Major Investment Study (MIS), to determine if this series of projects and proposals constitute a significant highway improvement affecting capacity, traffic flow, and the level of service.
In response, the NJTPA requested Central Staff to investigate the status of all projects and proposals in this area and determine if there is any validity to the citizens' assertions. At the outset, it should be noted that this is not a new assertion. During February of 1995, the same concerned citizem approached the NJTPA with the same claim. To understand the status of the River Road project (the northern most segment), a meeting was convened by NJTPA staff on March 17, 1995. Participants included project managers, elected officials (municipal and county), planners and citizens. The meeting concluded with Bergen County representatives explaining that the construction of their portion of Riser Road was being funded with state-aid, county and private sources. It was then clear that the use of this non-federal funding was beyond the authority of the NJTPA.
Follow-up research on the status of the other proposed segments south of the Bergen County portion of River Road was then conducted and completed. The research results revealed that there were a series of projects and proposals located along the waterfront corridor. Specifically, the construction of the northern most and southern most projects were completed or actively underway. However, there were neither funds, nor a commitment from any source (such as state, county or municipal funding) to study, design or construct the crucial, and largest, segments in the middle of the corridor. This section runs through Guttenberg, Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City (known as River Road, Waterfront Boulevard, and NJ 185 proposals), for approximately nine miles (refer to the dashed line on the aunched map). Central staff then concluded, in a March 29, 1995 letter to the concerned citizens, that without this significant missing link being committed to and formally studied, the citizens' assertion could not be supported.
It appears that the contents of an April 1998 Study aud Development report, issued by site NJTPA, is what generated the recent citizen inquires and comments. The report reflects the desire by the City of Jersey City for NJDOT to conduct planning studies for the four sections of the Waterfront Bonievard proposal. It should be noted that the Aprii 1998 Study and Development report reflected only various subregional recommendations and did not provide the actual status of individual project proposals.
Methodology
The NJTPA Board on September i4, 1998 directed Central Staff to investigate the status of all projects and proposals along this 18 mile north-south Hudson River Waterfront Corridor and determine if there is an active plan underway to develop a continuous highway. The Central Stuff approach to analyzing this question began hy comprising a list of projects from NJDOT's Project Pipeline that involve potential or actual projects to expand north-south travel capacity through the Waterfront corridor from Edgewater to the southern end of Bayonne. Information on these projects was further refined through consultation with the Project Prioritization Committee, a joint meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Committees, subregional stuff, and with NJDOT staff. A table of these projects showing their current status is attached.
Findings
This Central Staff investigation into the status of north-south roadway improvements along the Hudson River Waterfront concludes that there is no active plan to develop a continuous waterfront highway at this time. While there are "Waterfront Boulevard' projects (sections 1,2,3 and 4) in the NJDOT Project Pipeline, these projects are inactive and have no funding allocated to them.
The NJTPA has a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) which serves as a guide for a major transportation investments in the northern New Jersey region. The NJTPA also has a five year program of transportation priorities called the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). In order for a project to receive federal funding, it must be included in both of these documents. Of the projects on the attached list, only one, the extension of NJ185 in Jersey City, is in the RTP, and none are in the TIP.
Since only River Road in Bergen County, Route 169 in Bayonne, and a small segment of NJ185 in Bayonne and Jersey City have been improved to two lanes in each direction, there is gap of approximately nine miles between these improvements. As indicated above, according to officials of the NJDOT, none of the proposed waterfront projects that would fill this gap are activity being worked on.
It should be noted that there have been improvements to many local streets in the waterfront area that were necessary to facilitate land development and to prepare for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System. However, they do not constitute the development of a single continuous highway. Should these proposals contained in the attached table become active, citizens will have ample opportunity to provide comment. Specifically, there will be public comment periods provided by the NJTPA for projects being considered as amendments to the RTP and the TIP. Furthermore, a comprehensive public involvement process would be required by NJDOT through Environmental Assessments and/or Enviromental Impact Statement processes during project development.
