Tri-State Transportation Campaign predicts 80-percent increase by 2020.
By: David Campbell
Roadways throughout the state including Route 1 and Route 206 will witness a huge increase in truck traffic, and some roads will see a growth in truck-related traffic fatalities, according to a report released Wednesday by transportation watchdog organization Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
Tri-State predicts New Jersey’s truck traffic will grow 80 percent by 2020, and that trucks will travel more than 15 million miles on major roads in the state each day.
This huge boom in trucking will result in longer travel delays, increased truck-related traffic fatalities, a degradation of roads and bridges and deteriorating air quality, according to the nonprofit group’s findings, which Tri-State said are based on an analysis of federal data.
"The future of our transportation network depends on what we do today," said Tri-State Executive Director Jon Orcutt. "We need to take simple but proactive steps to shift some of the freight back on to rail, where it can be moved more efficiently."
But state Department of Transportation spokesman Marc Lavorgna said rail is not a "silver bullet" and that truck transportation of freight will continue to be needed.
Mr. Lavorgna said the DOT is working closely with Tri-State, the motor-truck industry and others to seek solutions. For example, he said the state has reinstated its heavy-truck task force, which he said includes Tri-State, the New Jersey Motor Truck Association and several mayors.
"We’re very well aware of the problem, and the concern is very real," he said.
The DOT spokesman said the state is "aggressively" reinvesting in its freight rail system, but said sensitivity is required when reactivating rail lines, which he said run through communities, and sometimes even people’s back yards.
"There’s no one solution to the problem," Mr. Lavorgna said.
According to the Tri-State report, Mercer County can expect to see daily truck traffic increase 84 percent by 2020, with truck-related fatalities predicted to rise from six in 2002 to 10 by 2020. On Route 1 in Mercer County, truck traffic is estimated to grow 277 percent.
The report ranks Mercer the fifth highest for projected truck-traffic growth among counties. It ranks Route 1 in Mercer the fourth highest for growth among roadways in the state, and Route 1 in Middlesex County third highest.
The report said Middlesex can also expect to see an 84 percent increase of daily truck traffic, and a projected rise in truck-related fatalities from 13 in 2002 to 21 in 2020 the highest for projected truck deaths among counties. Route 1 in Middlesex is predicted to see an increase of 321 percent in truck traffic, according to the report.
Tri-State projects that Somerset County will see 80 percent growth in truck traffic by 2020, and ranks the county fifth highest among counties for truck deaths, with an increase from six in 2002 to an estimated 10 by 2020.
The report predicts that Route 206 in Somerset County will see a 78 percent increase in daily truck traffic by 2020.
According to Tri-State, the increased wear and tear on roadways and bridges statewide could cost the state up to $3.7 billion a year by 2020, and $40 billion over the next several decades.

