Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman announced this week that Governor Murphy’s office has informed the Borough of Carteret that it will receive a grant from the State of New Jersey Department of Transportation for $1 million in local municipal aid for the reconstruction of Pershing Avenue.
“Many Carteret residents rely on Pershing Avenue as it provides access to commuter bus stops, Borough Hall, the Carteret Public Library, the RWJ Rahway Fitness and Wellness Center, and the Carteret Civic Center Park,” says Mayor Reiman.
The NJDOT Municipal Aid Grant in the amount of $1 million for the rehabilitation of Pershing Avenue includes upgrades to handicap ramps, inlet replacement or repairs, curbs, sidewalks, and driveway apron replacement as necessary as well as milling and overlay of the roadway.
“The renewal of the Transportation Trust Fund made it possible to more than double the size of the grant program from $78.75 million in 2017 to $161.25 million in 2018”, Governor Murphy said.
“These funds are instrumental in allowing each municipality to maintain its local roads and bridges in a state of good repair. Providing Municipal Aid grants to nearly 90 percent of our towns and cities is truly historic and demonstrates our commitment to relieve pressure on local property taxpayers”
Any necessary improvements to storm water facilities will be made to improve drainage conditions, eliminate ponding issues, and comply with NJDEP standards. Additional improvements include traffic striping/marking.
The subject section of Pershing Avenue has a total length of approximately 3,700 feet. The project costs for the proposed improvements total about one million dollars. Pershing Avenue, which has a legal speed limit of 25 miles per hour, has an average daily traffic of about 7,500 vehicles, approximately 10 percent of which are trucks weighing over 5 tons.
Separately the Borough has applied for funding under the NJDOT Freight Impact Fund for Industrial Highway improvements between Driftway and Roosevelt Avenue at the hill. The application for $6,365,307.50 was submitted on 12/19/17 and is awaiting a decision from NJDOT offices.
Mayor Reiman stated “We are hopeful that Governor Murphy and the NJDOT will fund other needed improvements like Industrial Highway as soon as possible, this roadway was damaged during Hurricane Sandy but Carteret was left to fend for itself by FEMA and the Christie Administration. While we have continued to fight for funding and have appealed FEMA’s arbitrary decision the State has sat idly by and allowed this artery to the NJ Turnpike Interchange 12 to crumble.
