Beyond the Tracks: TOD for New Jersey’s Bus Riders

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025

What’s in a Name?

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) often conjures a familiar image: walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods centered around multifamily housing and a rail station. In New Jersey, where 34 of the state’s 37 designated Transit Villages revolve around rail, many people equate TOD with “train-oriented” development. This perception is shaped in part by the perceived permanence of rail infrastructure, which is often seen to support safer long-term investment than bus routes.

But this rail-centric mindset doesn’t reflect how most people use transit in the state, where bus service accounts for the majority of NJ TRANSIT ridership. In 2023, NJ TRANSIT recorded 123.7 million bus boardings—nearly twice the combined ridership of its rail and light rail modes. Recognizing this, NJ TRANSIT is increasingly turning its focus to bus corridors for TOD planning—including one of the busiest in the state: The Route 9 Corridor in Middlesex and Monmouth counties.

Map of the Route 9 Corridor. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

The Route 9 Corridor TOD Study

In 2021, NJ TRANSIT received a $470,000 Pilot Program for TOD Planning grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to develop a comprehensive TOD plan for a 21-mile stretch of Route 9 between the Old Bridge Park-and-Ride and the Aldrich Park-and-Ride. The corridor includes 80 bus stops, 10 NJ TRANSIT bus routes, and offers a 40-minute commute from Old Bridge to the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) in Manhattan.

As of 2019, the corridor carried over 6,500 weekday boardings—rivalling regional commuter rail ridership. An interdisciplinary team—led by NJ TRANSIT and supported by Perkins Eastman and local staff—evaluated each station area for TOD potential. The team assessed land use, zoning, transit access, development opportunities, and community priorities through a State and Regional Advisory Committee Talk and Walk tour, public meetings, focus groups, and a survey (with 360 responses). Early findings have highlighted promising opportunities and persistent challenges.

Opportunities: Housing, Retail, and Land Availability

Single-family homes dominate much of the corridor, but towns like Old Bridge and Freehold have recently begun to construct garden apartments and multifamily developments. All five municipalities—Old Bridge, Marlboro, Manalapan, Freehold, and Howell—must meet their affordable housing obligations under New Jersey’s Fourth Round (2025-2035), which total over 2,500 units. Transit-oriented developments offer a strategic path to fulfill these commitments by delivering higher-density, mixed-income housing near frequent bus service—while also earning bonus credits (0.5 affordable housing credits per TOD unit) under the Mount Laurel doctrine. Transit-adjacent housing also receives Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) points, which help determine the statewide allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits through the NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency.

There’s also ample land available for development. Some properties near bus stops are publicly owned—by the transit agency or by various municipalities—while others, such as a 93-acre parcel west of the Old Bridge Park-and-Ride, offer significant potential for large-scale redevelopment due to their size and location.

Many residents who participated in the Route 9 TOD Study expressed support for expanding housing options. Survey and focus group participants raised concerns over affordability, the potential for displacement or gentrification, and the difficulty of ensuring that the children of current residents and those who grew up in town can remain in their communities. These insights highlight the need for future development to provide affordable and diverse housing types that reflect local needs and priorities.

Common responses from the community engagement process. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

Retail reinvestment presents another opportunity. Route 9 contains 7.6 million sq. ft. of mostly big-box and strip retail centers. But rising vacancies and falling rents—4.4 percent and $23.10 per sq. ft. in 2018 to 7.1 percent and $18.71 per sq. ft. in 2023—signal a need for reinvention. Residents expressed interest in walkable retail—like cafes, grocery stores, and daily-use shops—that complement TOD and revitalize underutilized shopping centers.

Healthcare systems are also reimaging retail sites. The corridor already features considerable warehouse and medical office space, and some healthcare providers have begun repurposing vacant strip malls as outpatient facilities.

Barriers to TOD

Limited facilities at US-9 at Freehold Raceway bus stop. Google Streetview

Despite strong potential, TOD along the corridor faces several challenges:

Environmental constraints: Some bus stop areas include environmentally sensitive lands, such as wetlands or preserved farmland, reducing the amount of buildable land available for new development.
Zoning limitations: In several municipalities, local zoning ordinances do not support higher-density, mixed-use development near bus stops. In some cases, towns may be reluctant to adopt the zoning changes needed to encourage TOD.
Infrastructure limitations: Some station areas could benefit from enhanced transit-supportive features. In certain locations, improvements such as sidewalks, crosswalks, seating, shelters, or pedestrian lighting may help create a safer and more comfortable environment for accessing transit on foot.

Route 9 TOD Plan Strategic Toolkit. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

Four Sites Leading the Way

The study team evaluated 17 station areas along the Route 9 corridor to assess their unique strengths and limitations and recommend strategies for future development. While TOD potential varies by location, the overall approach emphasizes clustering higher-density housing near bus stops, repurposing underutilized commercial sites to support walkability and retail activity, and preserving green space. Based on this analysis, the study identified four station areas as especially promising for TOD: Old Bridge Park-and-Ride, Old Bridge Central (including Perrine Road, Old Mill Road and Schulmeister), and Franklin Lane in Manalapan.

Old Bridge Park and Ride

This station offers a direct, 40-minute ride to Midtown Manhattan and is surrounded by large, underutilized parcels and vacant retail—including seven empty storefronts at Old Bridge Shopping Plaza. Between 2018 and 2021, Old Bridge approved 1,033 multifamily units, a sharp increase from the 116 units approved in the previous 13 years, reflecting growing support for denser housing. However, some recent developments near the station have limited access to transit due to barriers like the Old Bridge Shopping Plaza.

Rendering of Meleta Way as a pedestrian-friendly main street. Courtesy of Perkins-Eastman

In 2019, the Township began pursuing Transit Village designation around the park-and-ride to support the new development, presenting the study area to NJDOT, DCA, and NJ TRANSIT. Although the pandemic temporarily stalled progress, Old Bridge renewed its efforts after learning about NJ TRANSIT’s Route 9 Corridor Study grant. The resulting plan proposes relocating the southbound bus stop—currently tucked behind a Walmart—to Route 9 and connecting it in both directions with a pedestrian bridge. It also envisions transforming Meleta Way into a walkable Main Street lined with mixed-use buildings and public amenities. The concept includes up to 1,960 new homes, 105,000 sq. ft. of retail, and 32 acres of parks and open space.

In January 2025, Old Bridge formally began applying for Transit Village designation to help advance this vision. The Route 9 Corridor Study has already generated substantial public input to support the application. To further strengthen the effort, the Township recently directed its planning director, Veena Sawant, to launch an investigation study of the Old Bridge Park-and-Ride lot. This study could serve as the foundation for a future redevelopment plan, positioning Old Bridge to transform the area into a vibrant, transit-friendly community.

Old Mill Road and Schulmeister Road (Old Bridge Central Sub-Corridor)

Rendering of Central 9 Logistics Park. Courtesy of Cushman & Wakefield

Both stations face major connectivity challenges due to fragmented development and missing sidewalks, but they hold strong potential due to the amount of available land and ongoing growth. The area has recently added new housing, including The Oaks at Glenwood, and will soon host the 4.2 million sq. ft. Central 9 Logistics Park, expected to create over 2,000 jobs. The first phase, comprising four buildings totaling 1.4 million sq. ft., completed construction in 2024.

“To be successful, you need a balance of commercial and residential,” said Veena Sawant. “We already had plans for residential in the area, so we created a plan to generate more jobs. It’s impossible for any municipality to stop growth, but it is the planner’s job to point growth in areas that we would like to see more development and have minimal impacts on the roadway and wetlands.”

To support future development, the plan proposes pedestrian bridges over Route 9, new sidewalks along existing and future roads, and enhanced bus stop amenities. It also recommends zoning changes to allow a mix of housing types, including affordable options. Wetlands in the area would be integrated into a network of public open space. The team estimates 2,340 new homes could be built across 3.2 million sq. ft. of developable land. A pending proposal to expand The Oaks at Glenwood could bring 1,056 additional townhomes around Schulmeister Road. These pedestrian infrastructure improvements and new developments would greatly expand available housing within a 10-minute walk to transit, as seen in the maps below.

Current developments within a 10-minute walk to transit before changes. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

Proposed development within a 10-minute walk to transit following changes. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

Franklin Lane (Manalapan)

The proposed walkway traversing the Bagel World Plaza. Courtesy of NJ TRANSIT

Although the Franklin Lane stop sits directly on Route 9, it is disconnected from nearby housing and retail. Commuters and future residents—including those in the under-construction, 168-unit Franklin Lane Apartments—must walk through a busy shopping center parking lot to reach the stop, and Franklin Lane lacks sidewalks or bike lanes.

To improve access and support TOD, the plan proposes narrowing Franklin Lane to calm traffic and add sidewalks, securing an easement through Bagel World Plaza for a safe pedestrian route, and rezoning land behind the park-and-ride lot for a mix of townhomes, middle housing, and single-family homes. The proposal includes 590 homes, public open space, and a 15,000-square-foot community facility.

Could BRT Be Next?

Given the long timelines, high costs, and limited flexibility of constructing new commuter or light rail lines, many U.S. transit agencies are shifting their focus to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). With typical construction costs ranging from $20 to $50 million per mile—compared to $150 to $350 million for light rail—BRT offers a more cost-effective solution for high-ridership corridors that lack the population density to justify rail investment.

BRT distinguishes itself from standard bus service by incorporating rail-like features such as dedicated lanes, fewer stops, higher service frequencies, off-board fare collection, and traffic signal prioritization. Cities like Los Angeles (Metro Busway), Atlanta (MARTA’s Summerhill BRT), Pittsburgh (Busway), Cleveland (HealthLine), and Hartford (CTfastrak) have introduced BRT systems to either supplement their existing rail networks or serve as primary transit lines. However, BRT does involve trade-offs: while capital costs are lower, operating expenses can be higher due to maintenance and labor, and capacity per route remains below that of light rail—particularly in systems lacking signal priority.

CTfastrak in Hartford, CT. Daniel Malloy | Flickr

As transit-oriented development advances along the Route 9 Corridor, BRT or enhanced bus service could help accommodate increased ridership and support long-term growth. Cities like Minneapolis have paired zoning reforms with BRT investments to scale up TOD efforts and meet rising demand. While New Jersey currently lacks a full-fledged BRT system, it operates BRT-lite services such as NJ TRANSIT’s Go Bus in Newark and the Port Authority’s Lincoln Tunnel express bus lane. Additional BRT proposals are under consideration in southern New Jersey, Bergen County, and NJ TRANSIT and NJDOT have started a collaborative research initiative testing and implementing traffic signal prioritization for NJ TRANSIT buses.

The Route 9 Corridor meets many of the conditions for successful BRT implementation. It already features high bus ridership and BRT-lite elements like bus bypass shoulders and limited signal upgrades. With ongoing development and infrastructure investment, ridership is expected to grow further.

BRT would capitalize on the corridor’s direct link to the Port Authority Bus Terminal—currently undergoing a $10 billion modernization—and offer scalable transit improvements aligned with TOD goals. Expanded BRT features such as dedicated lanes, signal prioritization, and upgraded stops would improve service reliability while reinforcing the vision outlined in the Route 9 TOD plan.

Turning Plans into Progress

The Route 9 TOD Plan has laid a strong foundation for reimagining one of New Jersey’s busiest bus corridors as a center for denser, walkable development. By aligning land use policy, infrastructure investment, and transit planning, the Plan positions the corridor to better meet the needs of current residents while supporting sustainable growth. With additional steps—such as Old Bridge securing Transit Village designation or NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT advancing BRT-style service upgrades—the Route 9 Corridor could emerge as a statewide model for bus-based transit-oriented development.