The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced Wednesday it had opened a new training facility that will give trade and engineering professionals practical experience in the transportation field.
NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said the facility, located in Bordentown, N.J., will cater specifically to the evolving need of professionals in the transportation infrastructure field.
“The New Jersey Department of Transportation recognizes the critical importance of a well- trained, highly skilled workforce to build, maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “The skills taught at this innovative and modern facility will directly impact motorists throughout New Jersey, because excellence in training translates to expertise, efficiency, and enhanced safety on the job. Today marks an exciting milestone as we continue to invest in NJDOT’s most valuable asset, its employees.”
The building, formerly the New Jersey National Guard Bordentown Combined Support Maintenance Shop, features specialized classrooms and adjoining labs outfitted with real roadway structures, traffic control components and vehicle maintenance equipment to provide trainees with hands-on experience in a safe and controlled setting.
Additionally, the facility features a mock roadway and signalized intersection, crosswalks, overhead signs, and a railroad grade crossing to give trainees a feel for the conditions and structures they will come across during their careers, officials said. Other features include two full-motion Commercial Drivers’ License (CDL) truck simulators; a construction, landscape and roadway training lab with an in-ground drainage model; an electrical and sign training lab; an automotive training lab; an equipment training bay and a radio shop.