Local Towns Among Those Benefitting From Road and Safety Project Grants

Gov. Chris Christie announced nearly $6.8 million in grants to support local road and safety projects, including those in Atlantic, Ocean and Camden counties, Monday afternoon, Jan. 28.

The announcement included allocations totaling $5,699,000 for sidewalk, intersection, crosswalk and other safe routes to schools projects.

The largest of these grants will go to Brick Township and Montvale Borough, which will each receive $450,000. The grant designated for Brick will focus on the township’s infrastructure project on Midstreams and Lanes Mill Roads. The grant for Montvale will benefit its Spring Valley Road project.

In Galloway Township, $230,000 was set aside for Collins Road Pedestrian Safety Improvements. Egg Harbor City will receive $300,000 for the Egg Harbor City Pedestrian and Bicycle School Access Program.

A sum of $300,000 will benefit Haddonfield Borough for its Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Safety Infrastructure Improvements.

In all 25 of the 35 grants announced on Monday will benefit projects of this type. The Safe Routes to Schools grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and will be provided to the townships as their projects advance.

“These grants are among hundreds distributed by this administration every year to help local and county governments advance essential projects without burdening local property taxpayers,” NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson said in a release.  “Local Aid grants are funneling $380 million in state and federal funds to support worthy local projects and planning initiatives in the current fiscal year.”

Seven grants announced serve as supplements to Federal Emergency Management Aid (FEMA) grants in the cleanup from Hurricane Irene. They total $660,774.44, and were announced for Morris Township, and Cumberland, Gloucester and Somerset counties.

The final three grants total $416,079 for unanticipated expenses. The grants, known as  LAIF (Local Aid Infrastructure Fund) grants will benefit Upper Freehold, Mendham, and White townships.

Complete lists of the recipients and grant amounts for the Local Aid Infrastructure Fund grants, the Hurricane Irene-related LAIF grants and the Safe Routes to School grants are available online by clicking on the links here.  The state Local Aid program is administered by NJDOT.