The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced the creation of the Division of Transportation Permitting recently, part of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s Save Your Time & Money agenda.
The new division aims to simplify and modernize the state’s regulatory processes to save time and money, as well as to improve affordability, accountability and transparency. Part of Sherrill’s Executive Order 5, the division will be part of the NJDOT Community Programs and Resources, and will create a more efficient process for permitting, while maintaining safety standards. In August, NJDOT’s Major Access Permits process and Outdoor Advertising Permitting process became fully electronic as part of the same executive order.
“On my first day in office, I signed Executive Order 5 to ensure New Jersey’s permitting process is transparent and accountable,” Governor Mikie Sherill said. “NJDOT’s new Division of Transportation Permitting will create a more efficient and predictable permitting process – saving both the Department and applicants’ time and money while helping move projects forward more quickly.”
NJ DOT Commissioner Priya Jain said the moves have eliminated the department’s backlog of 500 permits. In June. Sherrill’s Administration launched a Permitting Dashboard for 10 pilot projects and announced it would be testing Artificial Intelligence to augment permitting intake, as well as fulfilling other actions to speed up permitting.
“At NJDOT we understand the importance of permitting and the frustration that can occur when the process is difficult to navigate. The creation of a unified Division of Transportation Permitting will help our stakeholders navigate the Department more easily, which in turn can reduce delays and help projects advance more efficiently,” Jain said. “We have already made significant progress, but we want to go further.”