New Jersey lands another $425M for transportation projects

Listen to this article

During a Sept. 6 press conference at Long Branch Train Station, Gov. Phil Murphy announced New Jersey is being awarded an additional $425 million in federal transportation dollars.

The fresh funding comes via the Federal August Redistribution process, which offers the opportunity for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to increase spending authority to state Departments of Transportation based on the availability of unused funds.

The $425 million in redistributed spending authority marks the highest amount New Jersey has ever received and the fourth-highest award nationally – behind only California, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The funds will be split: $315 million for NJ Transit projects and $110 million for NJDOT projects. Use of the resources must be approved by the FHWA no later than Sept. 30, 2023.

NJ Transit projects that will benefit from the funding announced Wednesday include:

• Long Branch Station Pedestrian Tunnel ($7.9 million) – which will reconnect the east and west halves of Long Branch, where the announcement was made, that are currently divided by the above-ground rail alignment.
• The Hilton Bus Garage Modernization and Electrification ($68.1 million) – an ongoing effort to modernize the Hilton Bus Garage in Maplewood and prepare the facility for the deployment of battery electric buses.
• Meadowlands Garage Battery Electric Bus Depot ($37.7 million) – a project to implement the initial phase of a battery electric bus depot at the Meadowlands Bus garage.
• Passaic Bus Terminal ($15 million) – an all-new bus terminal in the heart of the Passaic business district, which includes larger bus berths to accommodate higher capacity articulated buses and the construction of new bus shelters.
• Watsessing Avenue ($31.6 million) and Roselle Park Station ($9 million) modernizations – projects that will renovate the stations, located in Bloomfield and Roselle Park, respectively, as well as provide new platforms and canopies and install elevators and ramps to allow for full accessibility.
• Replacement of six bridges ($106.5 million) – projects to replace bridges in Little Falls, Readington, High Bridge, Bayonne and two in Waterford.
• Delco Lead ($33.8 million) – part of the NJ Transit’s Resilience Program, which will construct a storage location at a strategic location along the Northeast Corridor that is not flood-prone.
• Hoboken Yard Improvements ($5 million) – includes design and construction of inspection pits in Hoboken Yard for required periodic inspections of Multilevel rail cars.

On the NJDOT end, the funds will be used a for a variety of projects, which will be advertised or awarded by year’s end. Those include: pavement preservation, bridge preventative maintenance, bikeway and pedestrian safety improvements, and projects that ease congestion and improve safety – such as Portway, Fish House Road/Pennsylvania Avenue, County Road 659 in Bayonne; and Route 42, Kenney Avenue to Atlantic City Expressway.

The governor noted that securing this funding is a product of a strong collaboration with the FHWA under the leadership of Administrator Shailen Bhatt.

“The support we have garnered from the federal government demonstrates our collective commitment to enhance the vital transportation services upon which our communities depend,” said Murphy. “I thank our congressional delegation for their persistent work in Washington to bring crucial federal dollars to our state, as well as Commissioner [Diane] Gutierrez-Scaccetti and her team for their continued efforts to provide funding for critical transportation projects.”

“The collaboration that led to such a significant outcome for New Jersey cannot be overstated. Thank you to the FHWA team for working through this initiative and recognizing the importance of investing in New Jersey’s entire transportation system,” said Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who also serves as NJ Transit board chair. “This funding will help deliver on Gov. Murphy’s promise of providing all New Jerseyans with a safe, efficient, and equitable transportation network.”

NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett said he was grateful for the coordination between the FHWA, Murphy and Gutierrez-Scaccetti with the federal government.

“This significant capital funding will advance critical projects that are not just investments in infrastructure, but strategic investments in New Jersey’s future,” said Corbett.