Bus rapid transit in New Jersey
The introduction and expanded use of bus rapid transit in the Garden State is part of the worldwide phenomenon to bring mass transit to heavily trafficked corridors in both high and medium density areas as a cost-saving, and sometimes more flexible, alternative to rail transportation, thus reducing automobile dependency and traffic congestion.
[3][4][5][6] During peak periods, the line makes limited stops at eleven points between Newark Penn Station and the Irvington Bus Terminal, running for most of its length along Springfield Avenue, a minor thoroughfare.
[8] The go bus 28 is a full-time service between Newark Liberty International Airport's North Area Transit Center, its three terminals, the city's central business district, Branch Brook Park, the Roseville neighborhood, and Bloomfield.
In 2006, NJDOT reconstructed two stretches of shoulders and made improvements in signals and sidewalks for exclusive bus use during peak hours.
As of 2011, a $588 million project for expansion of the 7.2-mile (11.59 km) segment of Route 9 in the towns was in a "design concept" phase with funding earmarked for 2016-2017 construction.
The majority of the road and intersection infrastructure for the initial phase is already in place so most of the construction work will be dedicated to building a bus terminal adjacent to MetLife Stadium at Route 120.
[35][36] In 2008, NJ Transit and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) initially studied the possibility of BRT in the Greater New Brunswick area.
[47] Traveling northwest the two lines would converge to pass through downtown Camden, where transfers would be possible for other components of the network, including at the Walter Rand Transportation Center.
[53][55] As of March 2013, preliminary studies identified Kennedy Boulevard, which runs the length of the county, as the best potential corridor perhaps in hybrid route with Bergen Avenue and MLK Drive.
[64] The northern end of the system would travel through Midtown and the parking areas, terminals, and cargo shipping facilities at Newark Airport, partially following the Union County Light Rail route plan that was scrapped in 2006).
[64][65] In a southwesterly direction the system would utilize an abandoned portion of the Central Railroad of New Jersey mainline right-of-way between Midtown Station and the Aldene Connection, where the current Raritan Valley Line ).
[65] While served in part by rail, adjacent Bergen and Passaic counties nonetheless rely heavily on bus service for public transportation.
Various studies have been conducted and proposals have been made to create a comprehensive bus network, including the development of BRT routes concentrated in the vicinity of NJ Route 17, a frequently congested commercial and commuter corridor between the Meadowlands Sports Complex and the New York State line, running on a southeast–northwest diagonal between NJT's Main/Bergen and Pascack Valley rail lines.
Of particular focus is the Hackensack–Paramus area, where there is a concentration of "activity generators"—shopping malls, colleges, hospitals, and government offices—both north and south of Route 4, an important east–west corridor.
At the time Access to the Region's Core (ARC), an extensive rail infrastructure project which included new Hudson River tunnel was in its planning stages with the presumption it would be built.
Two would originate/terminate at Secaucus Junction, one running to Bergen Community College via Route 17 and one to Englewood Hospital via local streets and the New Jersey Turnpike.
