Christopher Lang, Correspondent, @topherlang2, Mar 2, 2018 | MonroeNow
Middlesex County municipalities will receive nearly $12.5 million for transportation infrastructure improvements, Governor Murphy announced last month.
The $12.5 earmarked for county municipalities is part of a larger $161 million in grants from the New Jersey Department of Transportation awarded to 532 towns.
The grants will help cover project costs for roads and streetscape improvements in 24 Middlesex County municipalities.
“I am proud of the work our towns put into applying for the Municipal Aid Program. Given the competitive process, we are grateful to receive transportation grants for ten projects and to see an increase in funding from last year,” said Assemblyman Daniel Benson, D- Mercer, Middlesex, on Feb. 21. “These grants will help to alleviate the burden on taxpayers and meet the needs of important road projects.”
Monroe Township will receive $475,000 for roadway and pedestrian improvements to Daniel Road and 10th Street, that the administration estimates will cost $547,000. Cranbury is slated to receive $300,000 and Jamesburg $875,000.
The project calls for milling, paving, sidewalk replacement, drainage work, installing Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curbs, curb ramps, and additional signage among other improvements.
Construction is anticipated to start in 2019 for four months.
“Daniel Road runs through a residential neighborhood, providing direct access to nearby businesses and our popular Veteran’s Park,” said Monroe Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro. “It also acts as a significant thoroughfare, accounting for substantial pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic. The Daniel Road improvements rank high on our list of priority projects.”
The state’s funding announcement more than doubles what was doled out in FY 2017. However, that is in large part because the Transportation Trust Fund was pretty much depleted until an increase in the gas tax was approved by legislators during former Gov. Chris Christie’s era. In total, 532 municipalities will receive aid for road infrastructure projects, up from 364 last year.
“The renewal of the Transportation Trust Fund made it possible to more than double the size of the grant program from $78.75 million in 2017 to $161.25 million in 2018,” Governor Murphy said. “These funds are instrumental in allowing each municipality to maintain its local roads and bridges in a state of good repair.”
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