Office of the Governor

Governor Corzine and Congressman Rothman
announce stimulus funding to improve
Route 46 and Main Street in Lodi

(Lodi) - Governor Jon S. Corzine, joined by Congressman Steve Rothman and Commissioner Stephen Dilts, today announced that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) will begin construction in May on a $47.6 million project to improve Route 46 and Main Street in Lodi, Bergen County.

"The Route 46 and Main Street project will greatly improve safety, replace structurally deficient bridges and reduce congestion on Route 46 in Lodi," said Governor Corzine. "This project reflects the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s potential to quickly stimulate the economy, create jobs and improve quality of life throughout New Jersey."

"I am glad to see the Recovery money coming to the Ninth District and especially to this long awaited project, which will bring much needed improvements to a busy stretch of highway and a community that deserves relief. This investment will address flooding problems, create jobs, make commuting less time consuming, raise local housing values and reduce our impact on the environment,” said Congressman Rothman. "The Route 46 improvements are a perfect example of the kind of valuable shovel-ready transportation projects that will benefit Northern New Jersey and that are now moving forward because of the Recovery Plan."

The Route 46 and Main Street project will improve safety and relieve congestion. The project consists of widening Route 46 to provide a third lane in each direction from Kimmig Street to the vicinity of Hope Street, replacing the Route 46 bridges over Main Street and Saddle River. In addition, NJDOT will widen Main Street to four through-lanes and a center turning lane at Route 46 and will add traffic signals at the ramps from Route 46 to Main Street.

NJDOT planned the project in a manner that minimally impacts traffic. Two lanes of traffic will remain open on Route 46 at all times, and one lane in each direction on Main Street will remain open. The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2012. $47.6 million in ARRA funds will be dedicated to this project.

The ARRA will stimulate New Jersey's economy by creating or supporting thousands of transportation-related jobs and making long-term improvements to roads, bridges and the transit system. New Jersey’s transportation allocation includes $652 million for highways and bridges and approximately $425 million for transit. That total includes approximately $162 million for county and local transportation priorities and approximately $19.5 million for transportation enhancement projects.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) $469 million in ARRA funding will address the needs of aging bridges by replacing movable bridges, rehabilitating bridge decks and beams, and other bridge maintenance. In addition, NJDOT will use federal stimulus funding to reconstruct and resurface highways and improve drainage systems and highway safety. NJDOT plans to obligate all of this funding in the next 120 days and to complete most of its stimulus-funded work within one year.

For additional information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, visit www.recovery.gov and www.nj.gov/recovery/.