Legislative District 24 will see $5 million from New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, which will help pay for 34 road construction projects.
And that’s welcome news to State Sen. Steve Oroho (R-24), Assemblyman Parker Space (R-24), and Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-24).
The funding, part of a larger $161 million package of Fiscal Year 2022 Municipal Aid grants, would allocated to projects to resurface and improve roadways within the Sussex, Warren, and Morris County towns in LD24.
“Every state dollar provided for local road projects helps lighten the municipal property tax burden. Each application was competitively evaluated and funding was awarded on the project’s merit so clearly these road improvements will benefit the quality of life in local communities,” Said Oroho.
Program Supports Safety Improvements
In total, the Municipal Aid grant program attracted 625 applications from 547 municipalities, with total requests reaching $363 million. The grants support road, bridge, and safety improvements, and $161.25 million was made available for Fiscal Year 2022.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) pays 75% of a project’s cost when accepting an application, with the municipality covering the remaining 25%.
“The upgrades will be appreciated by drivers commuting to work, parents walking their children to school, and those who deliver goods to homes and businesses. It is good to see state money flowing back into the towns in our district,” said Space.
Extra funding was made available under the 2016 Transportation Trust Fund renewal, and the number of towns benefitting from it jumped to 541 per year from 370 per year.
“Our towns put a lot of effort into the application process because it is very competitive so it is gratifying to see so many local projects awarded funding which helps lessen the property tax burden,” added Space.
Further Aid from County Aid Program
The Municipal Aid Program’s funding was separate from the NJDOT County Aid program which also benefits local communities.
Under the County Aid Program, Sussex County received $5,014,293, Warren County received $4,069,406 and Morris County received $7,891,024 in 2021.
Additionally, LD24 benefited from nearly $1.6 million in state aid from the NJDOT Local Bridges Fund.
