The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recently announced $161.25 million for Fiscal Year 2024 Municipal Aid grants for 543 cities and towns across the state.
The funding will advance road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements, demonstrating NJDOT's Commitment to Communities.
The competitive Municipal Aid grant program attracted 600 applications from 543 different municipalities with a total of $384 million requested. Project applications were evaluated and rated on their merits by NJDOT staff and reviewed by an independent panel of New Jersey municipal engineers. Every municipality that applied for funding, all 543 municipalities, received a grant, totaling $161.25 million.
“Having a safe, efficient, and equitable transportation system in New Jersey includes making sure the State does its part to help municipalities improve local infrastructure,” Governor Murphy said in a statement. “These funds enable our communities to undertake transportation projects that significantly improve the quality of life for New Jersey residents without the need to use property tax dollars. I look forward to seeing these dollars in action and congratulate all municipal grant recipients.”
“Every municipality that applied for funding received a Municipal Aid Grant this year,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in a statement. “Thanks to the Murphy Administration, our communities have the resources they need to enhance safety and improve our local roads and bridges.”
More than 40 percent of the funding, $66.7 million, is going to 173 municipalities with Complete Streets policies. Another $29.4 million is being awarded to 49 communities where the project meets equity criteria to benefit low-income and minority populations.
NJDOT encouraged municipalities to consider using the Municipal Aid Program to fund projects that support safety, walking, and biking in their communities. This year 5 percent of the grants represent this type of non-traditional project.
Under the Municipal Aid grant program, each county is apportioned a share of the total funding based on population and the number of local centerline miles. NJDOT provides 75 percent of the grant amount when a town awards a contract and the remaining 25 percent upon completion of the project. Of the $161.25 million, $10 million is allotted for municipalities qualifying for Urban Aid as defined under state law, with the amounts determined by the Department of Community Affairs.
Applications for Municipal Aid grants were submitted to NJDOT by July 1, 2023 and have been judiciously reviewed. There are seven project categories within the Municipal Aid grant program eligible for funding: Roadway Preservation, Roadway Safety, Quality of Life, Mobility, Bikeway, Pedestrian Safety, and Bridge Preservation. When evaluating applications, NJDOT verifies if the municipality has adopted a Complete Streets policy. A Complete Streets policy establishes guidelines that require consideration be given to pedestrians and bicyclists when local transportation projects are being planned, designed, and built.
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Source: The New Jersey Department of Transportation
