Project Purpose and Need
During the past three decades, thousands of people residing in the older urban core of the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area have relocated south to Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties. Many of these residents continue, however, to work in the urban areas to the north, placing heavy demands on the existing commuter rail and bus services in the tri-county area, as well as the highways. While rail transportation facilities exist (Northeast Corridor Line, North Jersey Coast Line), they hug the perimeters of the primary study area, leaving a wide area of the counties in between without direct rail service. Using the highway network in place, bus service has continued to evolve, filling in the gaps where it could. However, both the highway network and bus system have reached levels of inefficiency, resulting in the conduct of numerous studies of the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex transportation problem.
The 1996 MOM Major Investment Study indicated that transportation investment was needed in the primary study area due to the following existing and forecasted reasons:
- Growth and development in the region continue at high rates.
- Increased travel is causing congestion and stretching transit capacity.
- Most municipalities in the primary study area do not have direct access to public transit in their towns. Residents in these municipalities lack rail service and any nearby bus service is often inconvenient and limited.
- Delay affects all transit users, but commutes by bus or rail from the southern part of the primary study area generally take at least two hours from door to door.
- Air quality is a serious problem.
While transportation investments have been programmed (and some implemented) in the primary study area in the past six years, each of the above reasons for needing a major investment continue to exist.
Click here to view a map of the region.
*Information in this table will be updated in the future to reflect consideration of direct service to New York Penn Station.
Public Involvement
A Public Outreach Program is an integral part of the MOM DEIS project and is designed to inform the public and elected officials about the study purpose and need, alternatives under consideration, environmental review activities.
At the outset of the project, NJ TRANSIT conducted a series of scoping meetings in each of the three affected counties in an effort to give the public an opportunity to comment on and learn about the project's goals and objectives, alternatives, evaluation criteria, and environmental scope and findings. Public hearings, as mandated by NEPA, will take place in each of the three affected counties when the DEIS is completed. In the interim, NJ TRANSIT will conduct a series of outreach events to help keep the public informed about the project's status and also to give them an opportunity to raise issues or ask questions prior to the completion of the DEIS.
Given the complex nature of an EIS and the potential impacts associated with a project, it is important to foster a relationship with the affected communities. NJ TRANSIT established a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) as a way to facilitate communication between municipalities in the MOM primary study area and NJ TRANSIT and the study team. The CLC enabled fair representation of interested parties in the primary study area. Each community in the primary study area has appointed a representative(s) from their community to participate in the committee. Members of the CLC include mayors or their designated representatives, town council members, citizens, or chamber of commerce members. Additionally, many government leaders, including Freeholders and State Representatives are included in the CLC. NJ TRANSIT held CLC meetings in all three study area counties throughout the course of the study. The meetings served as a way for NJ TRANSIT and the study team to keep the public informed of the study's progress and technical developments.
NJ TRANSIT places a great importance on conducting one-on-one meetings with local elected officials and county planners representing the affected communities at a regional level. These meetings have facilitated discussion and have resulted in station locations in line with municipal development plans. The meetings have also enabled municipalities to express their positions and concerns about the potential rail lines. Meetings will continue to be held with the MOM municipalities as detailed data becomes available.
At the start of the project, agency coordination process was implemented to facilitate the dissemination of information about the study to federal, state, regional and local agencies. Agencies have been involved throughout the project, principally through a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
The following goals and objectives were established early in the project, with the input of the TAC, CLC and members of the public:
MOM DEIS Project Goals and Objectives
- Improve mobility and transportation access.
- Preserve and enhance the environment, natural resources, and open space.
- Develop the most efficient commuter rail system, which maximizes limited resources for the greatest public benefit.
- Develop a safe, secure, reliable, and convenient commuter rail system.
- Develop a commuter rail system consistent with local and regional plans and policies.
- Maximize community acceptance, consensus, and institutional support for commuter rail improvements.
