NJ Infrastructure > Infrastructure by Category > Roads

Infrastructure by Category:
Roads (Grade D)

Introduction
The New Jersey roadway system is vital to the State and the nation. The New Jersey Turnpike and the State's Interstate System are the primary links from much of the continental U.S. to New York and New England. Our roads accommodate over 75 billion vehicle miles traveled each year and total approximately 36,000 centerline miles. New Jersey roads are owned and maintained by the NJDOT, Authorities, Counties, Municipalities, and Parks. This Report Card evaluation is primarily based on information found within the New Jersey FY 2008-2012 Statewide Capital Investment Strategy (CIS) of March 30, 2007.

Current Road Conditions
New Jersey's highways are among the worst in the country. Approximately 49% of the State highway system is deficient based on roughness and surface distress measurements. Over the past decade pavement repair and maintenance work have been under funded resulting in a large backlog of roadway segments in poor or mediocre condition. Growing congestion on our roads continues to be a problem. In 2002 Northern New Jersey was ranked 7th of annual hours of delay per traveler of the 85 urban areas studied by the Texas Transportation Institute. New Jersey has the most densely traveled lane-miles, when compared to other states in the northeast corridor.

Percentage of NJ roads in state that are poor or mediocre: 79 percent.

In 2005 New Jersey motorists paid a total of $3.6 billion dollars in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs due to poor road conditions, this equates to $613 per New Jersey motorist. This was up from the $1.4 billion dollars in 2003 and is the largest 2-year increase of any state in the nation. Repair costs are approximately $554 dollars a year for each and every New Jersey motorist, this is almost double the cost per motorist for the states surrounding New Jersey. Approximately 79% of New Jersey Roads are considered to be in either poor or mediocre condition. This is twice the amount of those reported in surrounding states.

NJDOT's evaluation of the New Jersey State highway system is based on State roads and stored in the Pavement Management System. The Pavement Technology Unit analyzes this data to determine current pavement conditions. Two primary indicators of pavement condition are International Roughness Index (IRI) and Surface Distress Index (SDI). IRI estimates roughness by using lasers to determine the actual variations in the pavement surface from a perfectly flat condition, measured in inches per mile. SDI assesses surface distress and visible deterioration by evaluating cracking, patching, faulting, shoulder drop, and joint deterioration. SDI is reported on a scale of 0 to 5 (5 is a perfect pavement free of any distress). A recent analysis utilized 2005 data to evaluate the State highway system consisting of approximately 2,344 centerline miles (4,600 two-way miles) of roadway that are state-owned and maintained. This amounted to approximately 8,300 lane miles of mainline roadway. The current functional adequacy of NJ State Highway System is as follows:

The results underscore the severity of the deficiency backlog (49% of the system)

The aging of New Jersey roadway drainage systems is a concern. NJDOT is developing a drainage management system (DMS) which will identify, evaluate, and prioritize drainage problems on the State highway system. More information on this system is provided in the CIS. There are currently 200 drainage problems identified and ranked by the DMS statewide, and approximately 20 drainage projects are currently scheduled for work in NJDOT's Capital Program. NJDOT has budgeted $20 million per year in order to reduce the total backlog of roadway drainage problems by half over the next 10 years.

The total number of vehicular crashes in New Jersey declined by 3% between 2004 and 2005. Compared with other states in the Northeast, New Jersey has one of the lowest fatality rates.

Future Improvements
New Jersey State Government recognizes the challenges of roadway preservation. There is a lack of adequate funding to dramatically reduce the backlog of roadways in need of improvement in the near future. The following pavement Capital Investment Strategy (CIS) guidelines and recommendations have been made:

NJDOT is continuing to pursue its Safety First Program as a top priority. This program is working in reducing vehicular crashes and related property damage, injuries, and fatalities.

New Jersey is pursuing various methods to combat congestion including Major Capacity Increases as currently being under taken on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Highway operational improvements are being performed at intersections they include the construction of grade separated interchanges, signalized intersections, minor geometric improvements, and signal timing enhancements. The State is investing in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and Transportation Demand Management which encourages the use of alternative modes to transportation besides the single occupant motor vehicle.

Conclusion
Since most of the data described the state of the infrastructure in terms of percentages, ASCE used a grading system based on percentages of roads rated in good condition or better. Using the NJDOT Pavement Management System, 2005 Data identifying only 10% of the State Highway system in GOOD condition, Roads should receive a grade of "F". However the grade should be raised to reflect the success of improving roadway safety trends, and the policies the State continues to pursue which is promoting safety on our roadways. Also increased funding levels for roads and the State's CIS guidelines and recommendations to improve highway infrastructure as presented in its FY 2008-2012 Statewide Capital Investment Strategy of March 30, 2007 should improve the state roadway system. Therefore ASCE has adjusted the grade given to the New Jersey State Roads upwards to a "D".