Proposed Transportation Capital Program Announced
$3.6 billion to relieve property taxes, create jobs and stimulate New Jersey’s economy
(TRENTON)—The New Jersey Department of Transportation today released the proposed Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Capital Program. The $3.6 billion program funds $2.2 billion in NJDOT projects and $1.4 billion in NJ TRANSIT construction projects that will create jobs, relieve congestion, improve the mass transit system, and increase the overall safety of the State transportation network.
“The Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Capital Program will create or support tens of thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents by building and improving roads, bridges and our transit system,” Governor Jon S. Corzine said. “NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT have proposed projects that will increase access to jobs, encourage economic development, increase roadway safety and reduce congestion.”
The proposed program would be funded with $1.6 billion from the state Transportation Trust Fund, $1.73 billion in federal funding, and $239 million from other sources.
The Transportation Capital Plan would relieve property taxes statewide by providing $50 million more in aid to counties and municipalities than in Fiscal Year 2009 Transportation Capital Program. Specifically, the program will provide $25 million more County Aid than the $78.75 million provided in Fiscal Year 2009, and $25 million more in Municipal Aid than the $78.75 million provided in Fiscal Year 2009. The program provides direct property tax relief to counties and municipalities by funding improvements of pavements, bridges and other transportation projects on county and municipal roads. These projects would otherwise be funded by local property tax revenue.
NJDOT’s $2.2 billion capital program would improve bridges, pavement, and roadway safety and decrease congestion. The plan provides approximately $614 million in funding for state and local bridge needs. Bridge investments range from funding for high-cost bridge replacement to local bridge rehabilitations.
The NJDOT program also provides $176 million in funding for highway resurfacing, focusing on deteriorated sections of interstate highways. In addition, NJDOT would invest $73 million in safety programs such as Safe Corridors, Safe Routes to School program, and pedestrian safety initiatives. The NJDOT program also provides $419 million to decrease congestion through infrastructure improvements, incident response and traffic management.
NJ TRANSIT’s $1.4 billion capital program would modernize the transit system, invest in state-of-good-repair for the system including safety and security, and advance strategic expansion. NJ TRANSIT plans to enhance the States’ bus routes with modernized buses, signs, shelters and express service. The plan also invests in bridge rehabilitation, track replacement, signal and security upgrades, repairs to overhead power lines and electric substations, and improvements to rail stations and bus terminals. The program provides funding for expansion of the system through the Mass Transit Tunnel, Hudson Bergen Light Rail extension to Eighth Street in Bayonne, the Northern Branch, the Lackawanna Cutoff to Andover, and the Passaic-Bergen rail project.
The entire Proposed Fiscal Year 2010 Capital Program is available on NJDOT's web site and is organized by project, county and route.
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