Towns given state grants
The Christie administration recently announced that 24 Camden County municipalities will share $5.27 million in local aid grants to advance street, safety and quality-of-life improvements without burdening local property taxpayers.
Twenty-three Camden County municipalities will receive a municipal aid grant worth a combined total of nearly $4.7 million.
The grants are part of a package of 406 local aid grants worth $86.5 million announced for municipalities across the state.
The bulk of the local aid grants will be awarded under the Municipal Aid Program, with 377 grants totaling $76.2 million. Both grant programs are competitive, with applications rated on their merits by NJDOT and other transportation officials. The department encouraged municipalities to submit applications for bikeway, pedestrian safety and streetscape projects.
Six percent of the projects selected for funding represented such types of projects, with the remaining 94 percent of the grants going toward traditional road improvement projects.
The federally funded Transportation Enhancement program supports projects that preserve and protect natural and cultural resources and promote alternatives to driving. A total of 149 TE grant applications were received.
Under the Municipal Aid Grant program, each county is apportioned a share of the total funding based on population and the number of local centerline miles. Municipalities compete for portions of their county’s share.
