NJ Transportation Research Ideas Planning & Environment

New Jersey has the third highest percentage of commuters that use public transportation, behind only New York and the District of Columbia. NJ Transit is the largest statewide public transit system in the United States covering more than 5000 square miles of service area. Given this tremendous expanse and scope, the role of NJ Transit in upholding superior environmental and sustainability standards cannot be overstated. ...more »

We often see plastic bags or other garbage hanging on trees, along the roadside, slipping down the storm drain, and floating in the ocean. There are over 51 billion pieces of litter on our nation's roadways, 4.6 billion of which are larger than four inches in size. Plastics takes 19 % of 51.2 billion pieces of litter on roadways nationwide. 1.4 billion beverage containers on our nation's roadways: Beer bottles: 30%; Soft ...more »

Conduct research to identify best practices used by transit agencies to better understand the needs of current and potential bus riders. The research should explore the survey methodologies used which could include telephone surveys, online surveys, face-to-face interviews, onboard surveys, public outreach events, interviews with local stakeholders or other innovative techniques to reach users, non-users, and former users ...more »

In the science of global warming, there is a term I have learned called, "Heat Island." It is where the large areas of dark surfaces, and heat generating facilities in cities creates a bubble of artificially high temperature; an island of heat. As reported in the article located at the link below, there is a viable solution coming out of Los Angeles. They are coating their streets in a light colored asphalt based sealant ...more »

Green streets use green infrastructure practices within the public right-of-way to manage stormwater while preserving the primary function of a street as a conduit for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. In a densely populated state like New Jersey, the management of stormwater runoff is an important consideration for developed areas as impervious surfaces like roofs, roads and parking lots prevent ...more »

The recent investment (estimated at $2.6 billion) in Newark real estate development will have a significant impact on Newark Light Rail and Rail ridership. This proposed study will assess ridership and current service, analyze potential growth, and allow for future adjustments to address service needs. Mayor Baraka has expressed an interest in the redevelopment of Newark and in the investment in transportation. This ...more »

When SRIs and mileposts are updated in the Straight Line Diagram (SLD) due project completions or re-designations, this information is not generally shared with other NJDOT systems and databases. Also, errors in typing in SRIs, mileposts and other location information are not usually identified and corrected. SRI and mileposts can be verified against the current SLD databases and additional location information including ...more »

When facing large ocean waves such as storm surges or tsunamis, there is little that can protect against the damage they cause. I am proposing to study the construction of a channel to separate out a portion of the incoming waves, alter the timing of their arrival and recombine them to cause interference that will dampen the strength of the incoming waves. This concept is done in the study of light. Physicists use ...more »

Normal sound barriers have been known to cause a reverberation that will cause sound to build prior to moving past the wall. Even though the barrier does diminish the sound from one side of the barrier to the other, because of the reverberation building, some studies have hinted that the sound is actually louder than prior to the installation. The most efficient mufflers and silencers utilize hydrodynamics to diminish ...more »

One of the biggest problems in infrastructure is funding. As someone who spent years in various engineering positions, I know that there are many engineering related problems that can be discussed in forums like these. There are many different potential solutions. There are many different design methods. However, I have learned that one of the largest driving forces in decision making is funding. For example, ...more »

There are many different companies that use various types of road mapping hardware/software for their respective purposes. This technology could be utilized for multiple purposes that would benefit both the DOT and the public. All of these purposes would be achieved by the creation of a Virtual Reality State Highway System (VRSHS). I propose that the NJDOT contract with one of these companies to utilize their technology, ...more »