The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), in conjunction with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), announced Friday nine federal grants for local transportation improvements.
The $11.2 million in Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA Set-Aside) program grants will fund improvements to local transportation, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities, safe routes to school programs, historic transportation structure programs, environmental mitigation programs, and programs to save trail projects that serve a transportation purpose. The competitive TA Set-Asides grants will be administered by the NJDOT in partnership with DVRPC. Other grants, administered by the NJDOT in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJPTO), were announced earlier this year.
“As part of NJDOT’s Commitment to Communities, we work with the three regional planning authorities to provide federal funding to counties and municipalities for local transportation projects that improve safety and strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our transportation system,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “The grants announced today will fund projects to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in nine South Jersey communities without having to impact local property taxes.”
A total of 19 applications from the DVRPC region for the TA Set-Asides grants were received last year for an estimated $22 million. The nine-county region encompasses five counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties in New Jersey. The grants included an equity component, where eligible communities received additional technical assistance and additional points during the scoring process. Eligible communities were determined by U.S. Census data identifying low-income residents, racial and ethnic minorities, those with limited English proficiency, persons with disabilities, children, and older adults.