The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in
New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportation policy, and assisting with rail, freight, and intermodal transportation issues. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation. The present Commissioner is
Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.
History
The agency that became NJDOT began as the New Jersey State Highway Department (NJSHD) circa 1920.
NJDOT was established in 1966 as the first State transportation agency in the United States. The Transportation Act of 1966 (Chapter 301, Public Laws, 1966) established the NJDOT on December 12, 1966.
Since the late 1970s, NJDOT has been phasing out or modifying many
traffic circles in New Jersey. In 1979, with the establishment of
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
, NJDOT's rail division, which funded and supported State-sponsored passenger rail service, was folded into the new agency.
Until 2003, the NJDOT included the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which was reorganized as the self-operating
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC or simply MVC) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The equivalent of the department of motor vehicles in other states, it is responsible for titling, registering and inspecting ...
(MVC).
NJDOT Commissioners
*David J. Goldberg (1966–1970)
*John C. Kohl (1970–1974)
*Alan Sagner (1974–1977)
*
Russell Mullen (1977–1978)
*
Louis J. Gambaccini (1978–1981)
*
Anne P. Canby (1981–1982)
*
John P. Sheridan Jr. (1982–1985)
*Roger A. Bodman (1985–1986)
*Hazel Frank Gluck (1986–1989)
*Robert Innocenzi (1989–1990)
*Tom Downs (1990–1993)
*Kathy Stanwick (1993–1994)
*Dennis Keck (1994)
*Frank J. Wilson (1994–1996)
*John J. Haley (1997–1998)
*
James Weinstein (1998–2001)
*
Jamie Fox (2002)
*Jack Lettiere (2003–2006)
*
Kris Kolluri (2006–2008)
*
Stephen Dilts (2008–2010)
*
James S. Simpson (2010–2014)
*Joseph Bertoni (2014)
*Jamie Fox (2014–2015)
*Richard T. Hammer (2015–2018)
*
Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti (2018–present)
Divisions, programs and services
Public roads
NJDOT operates, develops, and maintains the State's
public road system, including Interstate, State and Federal highways, with a total of 2,316.69 miles of NJDOT-owned and operated roads (as of July 2015).
Most major highways including Interstate, U.S. and NJ State routes within New Jersey are under NJDOT jurisdiction, except toll routes including the
New Jersey Turnpike,
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...
(under the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority) and the
Atlantic City Expressway
The Atlantic City Expressway, officially numbered, but unsigned, as Route 446 and abbreviated A.C. Expressway, ACE, or ACX, and known locally as the Expressway, is a long toll road in the U.S. state of New Jersey, managed and operated by ...
as well as the interstate toll bridges and tunnels.
Freight planning
NJDOT develops interim and long-term plans and strategic policy on freight and shipping in and around the state. These intermodal policies cover trucking, rail, maritime and air freight.
Capital programs
The Transportation Capital Program and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) allocate state and federal transportation funding, including projected projects and investment.
Community programs
Assistance to local communities and grants for transportation-related projects, such as
transit villages.
Engineering
This refers to technical planning, development, design and research for projects.
Bureau of Aeronautics
NJDOT's Bureau of Aeronautics has general oversight of public use airports and restricted use facilities, including airstrips, heliports and balloon ports, addresses aviation safety and provides licensing and registration on aviation facilities and aerial activities including advertising, aerial racing, and sports.
Railroads
The NJDOT was also responsible for funding and supporting passenger rail service within New Jersey and to and from nearby points from the late 1960s onward, including procuring new modern equipment and rolling stock. The agency purchased
EMD GP40P
The passenger locomotives derivatives of the General Motors EMD GP40 diesel-electric locomotive have been, and continue to be, used by multiple passenger railroads in North America. For passenger service, the locomotives required extra componen ...
s for the
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...
in 1968, the
GE U34CH
The U34CH was a passenger diesel locomotive built by General Electric between 1970 and 1973. In total, 33 U34CH units were built; 32 were built for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and operated by the Erie Lackawanna Railway and, lat ...
locomotives and
Comet I cars for the
Erie Lackawanna
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
(1970) and
Arrow I, II & III electric MU cars for the
Penn Central in 1968–69, 1974 and 1977–78 respectively. During 1976 NJDOT took control of passenger rail routes operated by the Penn Central, Erie Lackawanna, CNJ and Reading Lines (with Conrail operating services under contract).
In 1979,
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
assumed responsibilities for passenger rail in New Jersey.
NJDOT is a member of the
Northeast Corridor Commission
Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission (the Commission) under Sec. 212 of Public Law 110-432 (Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008) to promote mutual cooperation and planning among owners and operators on the North ...
.
Traffic management
NJDOT maintains the Statewide Traffic Management Center (sTMC) headquartered in
Woodbridge, New Jersey. STMC is also the home to
New Jersey State Police and the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority. STMC is staffed 24/7 and is responsible for the coordination and logistics of statewide resources during major incidents within New Jersey.
See also
*
*
References
External links
New Jersey Department of Transportation official website
{{authority control
1966 establishments in New Jersey
Government agencies established in 1966
Transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
State departments of transportation of the United States
Transportation in New Jersey