Local towns get DOT grants for road work The state Department of Transportation (DOT) announced last week the award of $78.75 million in municipal aid to fund street improvement and safety projects in 438 towns. The grant program covers a variety of projects including road resurfacing, rehabilitation, reconstruction and signalization, as well as projects that support walking and biking in local communities. Locally, the allocations include: • Monroe Township, $225,000 for 13 streets; • Spotswood, $225,000 for Wyoming Avenue; • Sayreville, $186,000 forMain Street, from Main Street Extension to Crossman Road; • Jamesburg, $185,000 for Maple Drive, Birchwood Road, Fernwood Lane and Cedar Lane; • Milltown, $230,000 for Brook Drive, phase four; • Old Bridge, $211,200 for Route 516 sidewalks, phase five; • Helmetta, $185,000 for Main Street curb and sidewalks, phase six; • South River, $190,000 for Burton Avenue, section two; • East Brunswick, $245,000 for Sullivan Way. The grants provide funding to municipalities that would otherwise devote local tax revenue to road improvement projects, according to a press release from the DOT. Municipal governments maintain over 25,000 miles, or approximately 70 percent, of New Jersey's 36,000 miles of roadway. "The municipal aid program enables the state of New Jersey to provide municipalities direct property tax relief, create jobs and improve the condition of the local roadway networks," said DOT Commissioner Kris Kolluri. The Transportation Trust Fund directly funds the program. The DOT allots each county a specific funding amount based on its population and road mileage, and distributes funds to towns based on field investigations and engineering evaluations of proposed projects. The DOT provides 75 percent of the grant amount to the municipalities when they award a contract, and the remaining 25 percent upon completion of the project. This DOT received 835 grant requests this year, totaling $237 million, but is funding 440 of those, for $78.75 million.