Westfield Gets $375K In Transportation Grant Money

WESTFIELD, NJ – A total of 537 cities and towns across the state are receiving grants to advance road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements and Westfield is among the 95 percent of New Jersey municipalities receiving awards.

In Westfield, the Municipal Aid grant award is $375,000 out of the budgeted $161.25 million for the program. The money is to be used to address issues on Rahway Avenue.

“Supporting New Jersey’s communities through funding for infrastructure maintenance and renewal is a core component of good government, and stands at the top of this Administration’s priorities,” said Murphy.

The competitive Municipal Aid grant program attracted 681 applications from 544 different municipalities with a total of $377 million in work. Project applications are evaluated and rated on their merits by an independent panel of New Jersey municipal engineers with the support of NJDOT. This process resulted in 538 awards to 537 municipalities. The 2016 Transportation Trust Fund renewal has made it possible to continue to award more than double the dollar value for the second straight year, $78.75 million to $161.25 million, and increase the number of recipients.

“Working directly with municipalities to update the main lines of transportation that run through our towns and cities will have a positive daily impact on people,” said Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “Residents want to see their Transportation Trust Fund dollars at work in their communities and this grant program will help to make infrastructure improvements become a reality statewide.”

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. Municipalities compete for portions of their county’s share. 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 awarded, there is $10 million allotted for municipalities qualifying for Urban Aid under state law, with the amounts determined by the Department of Community Affairs.

“The Murphy Administration maintains its commitment to communities by providing municipalities the resources to make important safety, infrastructure, and quality-of-life improvements without burdening local property taxpayers,” said NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.

Applicants for Municipal Aid grants this year were submitted to NJDOT by October 2018 and have been judiciously reviewed. Within the Municipal Aid program there are seven project categories eligible for funding: Roadway Preservation, Roadway Safety, Quality of Life, Mobility, Bikeway, Pedestrian Safety, and Bridge Preservation. Past performance in connection with timely award of projects and project delivery were part of the evaluation of the proposals. When evaluating applications, NJDOT also verifies if the municipality has adopted Complete Streets policies. Complete Streets policies establishes guidelines that require consideration be given to pedestrians and bicyclists when local transportation projects are being planned, designed, and built.

“The hard-working families of 537 New Jersey communities will directly benefit from these grants,” said Senate Transportation Chair Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. “These funds will be put to good use for needed road projects and safety enhancements.”

You can view the complete list of grants and projects here.

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