The NJSEA Transportation Group is responsible for ensuring that site plan review applications comply with the Meadowlands District Regulations regarding traffic and transportation. The group also works on other transportation related projects, such as the Meadowlands Adaptive Signal System for Traffic Reduction (MASSTR), discussed below.
The Hackensack Meadowlands District (District) is home to a wealth of natural resources as well as a vibrant and integral transportation network responsible for moving people and goods throughout one of the East Coast’s fastest-growing economic centers. The District is located minutes from New York City and international transportation hubs such as Newark Liberty International Airport and the Port Newark/Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal. Local transportation infrastructure include the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction, Teterboro Airport, Routes 3, 17, 46, and 120, the New Jersey Turnpike, and several park-and-ride facilities.
In addition, the District is rich in opportunities for intermodal access, and the area has been identified as a prime location for increasing mass transportation and developing pedestrian-friendly transit villages.
MEADOWLANDS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING DISTRICT (MTPD)
The Hackensack Meadowlands Transportation Planning Act of 2005 and 2015 (Act), established a Transportation Planning District within the Hackensack Meadowlands District. The law requires the creation of a comprehensive District-wide Transportation Plan that will designate transportation projects and associated funding needed to sustain future economic growth. The Act empowers the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to assess fees on future District development based upon a technical analysis of its projected impact upon the transportation system.
The First Meadowlands District Transportation Plan was adopted in 2007 by both the MTPD Board and the Agency in 2007. The objective of the Plan is to identify transportation needs, recommend specific improvements and estimate costs of improvements over a time frame that reaches to the year 2030. The Plan fulfills the requirements of the Act and plays an important role in the Meadowlands Transportation Planning Board’s (MTPB) mission to improve mobility for passengers and freight throughout the District.
The NJSEA Transportation Group and its consultants, with oversight of the MTPB, are undertaking the development of an updated District-wide transportation plan through a consultative planning process that relies upon the participation of the public and private sector interests. The updated Meadowlands District Transportation Plan (MDTP) will reflect recent growth in the District and renew the transportation planning horizon to the year 2045 (MDTP 2045).
VIRTUAL MEADOWLANDS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING BOARD MEETING (VIA ZOOM) TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 20, 2021
Please take notice that a meeting of the Meadowlands Transportation Planning Board (MTPB) is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. to discuss the update of the Meadowlands District Transportation Plan. The MTPB is tasked with overseeing the development of a District-wide Transportation Plan through a consultative process that relies on participation of public and private sector interests.
Due to the declared Public Health Emergency, an electronic MTPB meeting will be held virtually using Zoom video conferencing on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 10:00 A.M. The physical NJSEA facilities will be closed to the public for the public hearing. Members of the public are invited to view the hearing live using Zoom, which also allows them to “raise a hand” and contribute with voice when they are invited to do so during the public comment portion of the public hearing. Please click below for the Public Notice and Zoom Instructions.
MTPB Meeting Public Notice
MTPB Meeting Agenda
Zoom Instructions
Program History
Resolution 2021-01 – Authorizing Adoption of Amended By-Laws
MTPB By-Laws
Printed copies of the 2007 Meadowlands District Transportation Plan are available for purchase at $15 per copy. The Appendix volume is also available for an additional $10.
- 2007 Meadowlands District Transportation Plan
- MTPD Fact Sheet
- MDTP Plan Appendices
- Guidelines for Green Development and Redevelopment Part 3 (Transportation Efficient Development)
MEADOWLANDS ADAPTIVE SIGNAL SYSTEM FOR TRAFFIC REDUCTION (MASSTR)
The NJSEA MASSTR Project reduces roadway congestion, delays, travel time, fuel consumption, and airborne emissions in the Meadowlands region through advanced, proven, and cost-effective technologies without sprawl-inducing roadway widening, significant infrastructure spending, or adding additional right-of-way.
The project incorporates 125 traffic signals into a self-adaptive network. A reduction in congestion is accomplished by adjusting the signal timings based upon the flow of traffic rather than utilizing fixed or actuated timings. Signals along multi-jurisdictional boundaries are continuously coordinated for optimal operation. Traffic conditions and signal operations are monitored and controlled in real-time at the NJSEA Traffic Management Center.
Monitoring sites through SCATS – Adaptive traffic signal control system
Video-based vehicle detection system
The MASSTR project was an ideal opportunity to update existing outdated traffic control mechanisms and integrate them into an advanced intelligent transportation system that provides for sustainable transportation improvements and significant regional benefits within a complex region. Area businesses and residents will continuously benefit from a reduction in signal delays, travel time, fuel consumption, and airborne emissions.
All project signals utilize advanced components including adaptive traffic signal control software, wireless and fiber-optic communications, and vehicle detection devices.
Installation of the system involved adding advanced traffic signal control components to existing signal cabinets; mounting vehicle detection cameras, radios, and antennas on traffic signal poles; and installation of various wiring.
The agency was awarded a highly competitive $10 million Tiger 2 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to install the system on 123 traffic signals in the Meadowlands region. The Meadowlands District Transportation Planning District Fund provided the remaining $2.5 million in matching funds.
The intelligent transportation system serves more than 3 million vehicles each day. The project is estimated to reduce vehicle delays by more than 1.2 million hours per year, gasoline consumption by more than 1.2 million gallons per year and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 11,000 tons per year.
MASSTR IN THE NEWS
- BBC Autos: How smart traffic signals may ease your commute
- The Record – November 2013
- Meadowlands USA – August 2013
- Star Ledger – September 2013
- Meadowlands USA – April 2013
COMMUTER SHUTTLE
The Meadowlands Transportation Brokerage Corporation, the first Transportation Management Association (TMA) in the state of New Jersey, which operates under the brand name “EZ Ride” (formerly “Meadowlink”), is a non-profit organization established in 1983 as a public-private partnership, and has been sponsored by the NJSEA since its initiation. The main objective of EZ Ride is to reduce traffic congestion in northern New Jersey through the implementation of vehicle trip reduction measures, such as carpooling, vanpooling, shuttle programs, transportation for older adults and people with disabilities, bike and pedestrian programs, and direct-link services to major employers in the service area.
To learn more about the EZ Ride services, please visit www.ezride.org
PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS
With a focus on enhancing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, the NJSEA, utilizing the Transportation Planning District Fund, reimbursed the Town of Secaucus for the construction of a designated protected bike path, which runs along Meadowland Parkway between Hudson Regional Hospital and the former home of WWOR TV 9. As part of the Secaucus Greenway, this bike path continues as a walking path to the south along Meadowland Parkway and connects to the Harmon Cove residential community.
