MONROE – Much needed municipal roadway improvements on North State Home Road, Lower Matchaponix Avenue and a section of Spotswood Gravel Hill Road will get a boost in state funding.
Township officials announced Monroe has secured $609,250 from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) municipal aid program in a release on Feb. 17. The township is expected to contribute about $425,000 for the total project.
“We are proud to report that the township has secured $3 million since 2016 in state money to upgrade our roadway system,” Mayor Stephen Dalina said in the statement, attributing the success to a strong working relationship with the DOT and the 14th Legislative District representing the township. “This is work that needed to be done, and the council and I can move forward with limited impact on our taxpayers. We attribute the progress to our ongoing ability to reach out for support and effectively advocate for what our community needs.”
Dalina noted the state has more than doubled its municipal local aid to Monroe since 2016.
Monroe recently received grants for upgrades to Spotswood and Ellingham avenues, a major section of Monmouth Road, Daniel Road and 10th Street and School House Road.
Two other projects with state support are being designed – the Camelot neighborhood off of School House Road and Costco Drive.
The DOT’s municipal aid program is very competitive, having received 635 applications from 549 municipalities, requesting more than $342 million. There was $161.25 million available, supported by the state’s gas tax, Dalina said in the statement.
“This grant program is a shining example of what can happen when we invest in our transportation system,” Assemblyman Daniel Benson (D-14), chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said in the statement. “By renewing the Transportation Trust Fund four years ago, we created a path to provide towns with resources to make improvements to local roads and bridges with the goal to increase safety and provide a better quality of life. While upgrades to major highways are always important, it’s road projects at the local level that impact drivers on a daily basis. These state grants help ease the burden on Monroe’s property taxpayers while investing in the road infrastructure we use every day.”
