DiFrancesco Announces $65 Million in
Transportation Grants Awarded to Municipalities
Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco and Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein today announced the awarding of $65 million to municipalities from all 21 counties for local street repair and resurfacing projects. This amount represents a portion of the $170 million available through the New Jersey Department of Transportation's FY2002 Local Aid program.
"The NJDOT's Local Aid program is one of the best examples of taxpayer dollars being directed right back to the municipalities. Funds from this program are spent on fixing those local roads that the majority of people use day in and day out," acting Governor DiFrancesco stated.
"The highly developed transportation system that we have in New Jersey begins right at home. Local roads are the core of the state's roadway network. The Local Aid program funds the basic resurfacing and reconstruction projects. This type of work also keeps the economy strong by generating the greatest numbers of construction and related jobs. We estimate that every $100 million invested in road projects results in 3,800 construction jobs," Commissioner Weinstein said.
Municipal aid funding is based on a formula that takes into account population and road mileage. In addition, municipal projects are selected for funding on a competitive basis by a panel of engineers who evaluate the condition of a roadway, the amount of traffic it carries and the role the road plays in the surrounding transportation network.
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