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Published on December 20, 2023
Key Investments Include Infrastructure, Education and Public Safety
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners tonight unveiled a comprehensive capital spending plan for 2024 that prioritizes their commitment to education, public safety, health and the needs of our veterans and vulnerable residents, while continuing to invest in county roads, bridges and infrastructure.
The board’s Capital Budget Committee, which includes Commissioners Tayfun Selen, Stephen H. Shaw and Deborah Smith, outlined the plan during a public meeting in Morristown. The 2024 Capital Spending Plan, minus state grants and ongoing legacy commitments, invests nearly $35 million into educational facilities, human services support, public safety, health, county parks and upgrades to roads, intersections and bridges.
“The capital budget process began several months ago with the administration getting requests and back-up from the various County departments. We like to get our capital plan completed early so we can be among the first public entities to send projects out to bid,” said Commissioner Shaw, chairman of the county budget committee.
“The inventory of County assets is not only extensive but very diverse as well. In addition to traditional infrastructure like our 287 miles of roads, 1,000 bridges and 3.4 million square feet of buildings, we have over 20,000 acres of parkland, right-of-way trees and three freight railroads,” Shaw added.
The plan also continues a strategy of offsetting the county’s future borrowing needs for necessary capital projects with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
“We will continue to lead the state in bridge upgrades with the addition of $5.4 million to our 2024 Capital Plan. Bridges in Dover, Mount Olive and Parsippany are among those targeted for improvement in 2024. By the end of next year, we will have replaced 43 bridges and rehabilitated six others over the past eight years,” said Commissioner Selen.
He also noted the 2024 Capital Plan anticipates resurfacing 30 miles of county roadways next year, bringing the total to 220.8 miles of roads since 2016, an average of nearly 28 miles per year.
Click Here to View the Slideshow Presented by the Capital Budget Committee
“Our 2024 Capital Budget Plan will continue to expand on our commitment to educational excellence at the Morris County Vocational School District (Votech), as well as at the County College of Morris (CCM), where we are making a $4.2 million investment in constructing a 70,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art Center for Health Professions,” said Commissioner Smith. “We also will continue investing in the equipment and training for our public safety agencies, addressing the human services needs of our veterans and homebound residents, and maintaining the safety of our parks – the largest county park system in New Jersey.”
The 2024 Capital Spending Highlights
Improving Our County Road Network
$2.6 million for intersection improvements, including:
- Ridgedale Avenue and School Avenue in East Hanover
- Columbia Trail Crossings in Washington Township
- Guide Rail upgrades and installations throughout the County
$16.5 million for roadway resurfacing in 15 municipalities, including:
- 4.2 miles of Ridgedale Avenue (CR 632) from Littell Road to New Road in East Hanover
- 2.2 miles of Green Pond Road (CR 513) from Jacobs Road to Route 23 in both Jefferson and Rockaway Township
- 4.7 miles of Tempe Wick Road/Glen Alpin Road (CR 646) from Main Street Mendham Boro to Blue Mill Road in both Mendham and Harding Townships
- 1.6 miles of Schooley’s Mountain Road (CR 517) from Mill Road to Springtown Road in Washington Township
$5.4 million for bridge and culvert projects, including:
- Intervale Road in Parsippany-Troy Hills over a tributary to Troy Brook (Bridge #386)
- Stephens Mill Road in Mount Olive over the South Branch of the Raritan River (Bridge #1127)
- Hurd Street in Mine Hill over Jackson Brook (Bridge #992)
Commitment to Education
- $4.2 million invested in the construction of a new Center for Health Professions Building at CCM
- $1 million for HVAC upgrades at Votech’s Denville campus
- $165,000 in Information Technology for Votech’s Career Training Center at CCM
Traditional Capital Projects Augmented by ARPA Funds
- Votech – $9 million, including $7 million towards construction of the Career Training Center at CCM
- County Correctional Facility – $3.8 million in upgrades
- Public Safety and Health – $1.9 million, including replacement of a mobile command unit, hazmat and training gear, and equipment to train EMS candidates.
Morris County government has a massive and diverse inventory of responsibility, ranging from the Morris County Administration Building in Morristown to Human Services and Law & Public Safety complexes in Morris Township and Parsippany.
The infrastructure includes:
- 287 miles of county roads in all 39 Morris County municipalities
- 1,000 bridges and culverts throughout all Morris County municipalities
- 3 Freight Railroads
- 1,200 vehicles and or pieces of equipment used by various county agencies
- 3.4 million square feet of buildings and structures
The County of Morris also is responsible for:
- Maintaining all trees within county road rights-of-way
- Facilities required by the judiciary, sheriff, law and public safety
- Mosquito Control services throughout all Morris County
- 20,437 acres of Parkland
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Photos
Photo 1: A view of the rebuilt western wall of the Millbrook Ave. bridge when it reopened on Aug. 29, 2023.
Photo 2: The Morris County Commissioners join local officials to break ground for the new Career Training Center at CCM on Sept. 27, 2023.
Photo 3: (l-r) Commissioners Shaw, Krickus and Mastrangelo were joined by members of American Legion Post 59 of Morristown in cutting the ribbon on Nov. 9, 2023 at the expanded Morris County Veteran Services Office.
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