Bateman: $500k of Funding for Hillsborough Road Safety Project Finally Released by Murphy Administration

Brown Avenue Extension Will Divert Truck Traffic from Dukes Parkway West

Senator Kip Bateman said that $500,000 of funding to begin a critical road project that will improve public safety in Hillsborough has been unfrozen by the Murphy Administration months after it was approved as part of the FY 2020 State Budget.

“The funding that finally has been released from reserve by the Murphy Administration will allow for the first steps to be taken on the construction of the Brown Avenue extension,” said Bateman (R-16). “When completed, this project will increase the safety of the hundreds of thousands of annual visitors who cross the road that runs through Duke Farms.”

The funding designated for the project would provide the seed money to construct the first phase of the Brown Avenue extension, which is ultimately envisioned to connect Brown Avenue between Route 206 and Roycefield Road in Hillsborough Township.

The ultimate goal is to divert heavy truck traffic from Dukes Parkway West between Roycefield Road and Route 206, thus protecting the numerous bicyclists, joggers, and pedestrians that utilize the road system and trails around Duke Farms.

“It’s a great first step toward addressing the problem of dangerous truck traffic on Dukes Parkway West that poses such a serious risk to local residents and visitors to Duke Farms,” said Michael Catania, Executive Director of Duke Farms.

The $500,000 appropriation for the Brown Ave. Extension is among $235 million of appropriations in the FY 2020 State Budget that Governor Murphy held in reserve through Executive Order #73 on June 30, 2019. The final $121 million of reserved funds was unfrozen on Thursday following the release of the December 2019 Revenue Report by the State Treasurer.

“It never made sense for Governor Murphy to certify the revenues that supported the appropriations in the State budget he signed while simultaneously suggesting he had to freeze funds until he was sure the necessary tax collections would materialize,” added Bateman. “That suggests the Governor had little faith in the revenues he certified or didn’t believe he had fulfilled his constitutional obligation of enacting a balanced budget.”