Gov. Phil Murphy this week signed an executive order ceasing all non-essential construction projects in the state of New Jersey in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, with transportation projects still considered essential.
The order also outlines specific protections and policies for all parties engaged in essential construction projects.
“We must continue to work together to flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases in New Jersey,” Gov. Murphy said in a statement. “By ceasing all non-essential construction projects and imposing additional mitigation requirements on essential businesses, we are furthering our aggressive efforts to enforce social distancing and limiting our public interactions to only the most essential in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
The governor's executive order directs the physical operations of all non-essential construction projects to cease at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 10. The governor's office has defined "essential" construction projects to include transportation projects, including roads, bridges, and mass transit facilities or physical infrastructure, including work done at airports or seaports.
The order also deems essential any project that is ordered or contracted for by federal, state, county, or municipal government, or any project that must be completed to meet a deadline established by the federal government. Any emergency repairs necessary to ensure the health and safety of residents are also permitted.
As transportation projects continue, the New Jersey DOT announced this week that the Murphy administration is awarding 41 local bridge fund grants totaling $47.3 million to help counties maintain local bridges in a state of good repair.
This program is funded through the the state's Transportation Trust Fund, which provides funding for each of New Jersey’s 21 counties for the improvement of county bridges. The grants are intended to help counties, as part of its Statewide Capital Investment Strategy, focus on bridges under the jurisdiction of the counties with an emphasis on repair, reconstruction, and replacement of those bridges with the greatest structural deficiencies.
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SOURCE: Office of Gov. Murphy / New Jersey DOT
