Committed to Equity in Transportation
NJDOT is committed to ensuring that the funds allocated in its grant programs are equitably distributed across the state and meet the needs of our more vulnerable and traditionally underserved populations. NJDOT, in collaboration with the state's three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), is working to ensure that the Federal Grant program meets the federal and state standards for ensuring equity in grant distribution. NJDOT is also incorporating equity into state aid programs.
Program Improvements
Starting with the 2020 Transportation Alternatives solicitation, NJDOT and the MPOs added an equity component to the TAP program. The addition of this scoring criteria will ensure that applications benefit underserved communities with populations defined by:
- Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Executive Order 13985,
- Executive Order on Environmental Justice (EJ) 12898,
- New Jersey Governor's Executive Order 23,
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP); and
- Individuals with disabilities.
Community Support
Community leaders and advocates are encouraged to consult your Local Government about project selection and work with them to ensure that projects are equitably distributed across your municipality. Each MPO has information for their sub-region to help you determine if a proposed project meets the equity criteria.
How We Can Support You
Proposed projects still need to fall within one of the seven categories for selection, be well-developed, and construction ready to first qualify for consideration.
To ensure that all LPAs get the assistance they need to develop a competitive application, the DOT is offering various pre-application support on an as-needed basis. We encourage you to take advantage. You can also find additional resources below.