The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has announced that the county has been awarded $28 million through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Local Safety and High Risk Rural Roads programs for Fiscal Year 2020.
In January, county officials submitted applications for three county road safety improvement projects. On Nov. 9, the county was approved for the award during the NJTPA board meeting, according to a press release.
“The NJTPA award will allow Monmouth County to undertake the safety improvements for three county road segments which are highly traveled rural roads by residents and visitors,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone, who is an NJTPA board member.
“The road projects will start in 2022 through the NJTPA Design Assistance Program and advance to construction as the design efforts are completed,” Arnone said.
The three road safety improvement projects awarded funding are:
• Route 524 (Stagecoach Road) in Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township;
• Route 527 (Siloam Road) in Freehold Township;
• Route 40A (Memorial Drive) corridor in Neptune Township and the boroughs of Neptune City, Bradley Beach and Avon-By-The-Sea.
The NJTPA works with federal partners, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and other state and local agencies to find cost-effective ways to protect ecosystems and make travel safer and more reliable for motorists, according to the press release.
“Receiving the federal funding for the county infrastructure improvement projects is tremendous for our communities,” Arnone said. “The awarded money from the NJTPA will help reduce the overall cost of the projects and save taxpayer dollars, keep property taxes in check and help boost our economy by creating jobs.”
In total, Monmouth County maintains approximately 1,000 lane miles of roads, 924 bridges and culverts, and 239 traffic signals and beacons, according to the press release.