Senator Kip Bateman (R-Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon) today released the following statement condemning Governor Phil Murphy’s decision to freeze $500,000 in funding for a road project in Hillsborough that would improve public safety.

“The Brown Avenue extension project represents a critical public safety improvement that will make local roads in the area safer,” said Bateman. “By freezing funding for this project unnecessarily, Governor Murphy is only putting the people of Hillsborough at risk.”

The frozen 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 off of Dukes Parkway West between Roycefield Road and Route 206 and to protect the numerous bicyclist, joggers, and pedestrians that utilize the area road system.

The $500,000 in funding for the project is among $235 million of appropriations in the FY 2020 State Budget that the Governor has frozen.

“It’s time for the Governor to put his personal vendetta aside and think about what is in the best interest of the people he serves. Freezing funding for public safety projects, hospitals, and cities because you’re angry is absurd,” added Bateman. “I urge Governor Murphy to reconsider his decision as soon as possible. The people of Hillsborough – and the rest of the families he serves in every corner of the state – are counting on him to make the right call.”