(The following story by Chad Hemenway appeared on the Courier-News website on September 11.)
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — New Jersey Transit gave the go-ahead Monday to continue a study started by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to explore ways of reducing congestion on Interstate 78.
“We feel Interstate 78 is being greatly stressed by a number of different factors, and something needs to be done,” said Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, who also is a member and past chairman of the federally funded North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.
“This means the whole process is moving forward, and we can further discuss options to improve a growing problem.”
From 1980 to 2005, delays on I-78 increased 4.9 percent annually in Hunterdon County and 5.7 percent annually in Somerset County, according to the transportation planning authority. The reasons: new commuters traveling from Eastern Pennsylvania, more tractor-trailers and the completion of Pennsylvania’s Route 33, which connects I-78 and Route 22, Palmer said.
The I-78 Corridor Transit Study completed by the transportation planning authority in May outlined some preliminary recommendations to improve bus service and park-and-ride stops along a 60-mile stretch of I-78 between Somerset County and Lehigh County in Pennsylvania.
The NJ Transit Board of Directors’ approval of that study Monday makes possible more studies to “offer transportation alternatives to residents and employers alike in a growing section of the state,” said Kris Kolluri, NJ Transit chairman and transportation commissioner.
Many areas seeing population increases have little when it comes to bus and rail transit. Rail service on the Raritan Valley Line ends in High Bridge, and park-and-ride lots are overcrowded for limited bus service, the transportation planning authority study indicates.
Palmer said the transportation planning authority has recommended the following remedies: increase transit use, add bus service to new destinations, make bus transportation more efficient, and work with larger companies to provide shuttle services from train stations or bus stops to work.
“It’ll take some effort to change the behavior of drivers,” Palmer said. “There has to be a conductivity to travel. It comes down to time and money. Prove you can improve on that, and people will change.”
NJ Transit and the Transportation Planning Authority awarded a $1.2 million contract to Systra Consulting of Little Falls to do the study, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
In the meantime, NJ Transit said it will continue using public input during the study, as the transportation planning authority did with its research.
“The study will provide an opportunity for the public to get involved and learn about the region’s transportation challenges and the range of mass transit options that could help alleviate congestion,” said George Muller, transportation planning authority board member and Hunterdon County freeholder.