Area bridges receive grants for repairs

WANTAGE — Two bridges in Wantage and one in Sparta will receive funding for needed repairs.
The 24th Legislative District, represented by State Sen. Steven Oroho, and Assemblymen Parker Space and Hal Wirths, will received nearly $2.2 million to fund the work.
In Wantage Township, $900,000 has been earmarked for reconstruction and realignment of County Highway 565 over Papakating Creek and $350,000 for rehabilitiation of County Route 639 (Loomis Avenue) over the Neepaulakating Creek.
The bridge over the Papakating, a $3.6M project, has been closed since late June and is expected to reopen in December.
In Sparta Township, $533,866 was earmarked for replacement of the brdige carrying Main Street over the Wallkill River.
The repairs will be funded by "Local Bridges, Future Needs" grants, which will provide $47.3 million for repairs statewide. The grant program is funded by the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund, under the purview of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Divisions of Local Aid and Economic Development.
"I am very pleased to see that the administration recognizes the critical need to ensure counties across New Jersey have a fiscally-responsible way to keep our roads and bridges safe," Oroho said. "Calculating how much each county needs based on the bridge deck area and the portion of bridges in need of repair is exactly how we should be awarding funds. I hope to see this kind of sound, evidence-based decision making with State resources continue."
The 2018 "Local Bridges, Future Needs" grant program provides funding to ensure counties across New Jersey can repair and maintain local bridges. Oroho noted these grants are in addition the $1 million each county receives, and that funding for bridge repairs statewide has nearly doubled since the Transportation Trust Fund was reauthorized.
"The winter storms we suffered last season ravaged many of our roads and bridges in District 24," Assemblyman Parker Space said. "I am thrilled to see that our communities are getting the support they need to make essential repairs, and more importantly, that these counties will be able to complete construction without forcing overtaxed families to bear the brunt of the cost."
"New Jersey's local economy cannot continue to grow and thrive unless we invest in our transportation infrastructure," Assemblyman Wirths said. "This funding will ensure that commuters and business owners alike can safely navigate the roads they use each day to get to work, school, and back home to their families. I am thrilled to see that our area will receive its fair share of this critically-needed funding."