Bill Text: NJ A5512 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Future Road Technologies Fund"; makes annual appropriation of $3 million.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-17 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A5512 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A5512-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Future Road Technologies Fund"; makes annual appropriation of $3 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "Future Road Technologies Fund," making an annual appropriation, amending P.L.1984, c.73, and supplementing Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 25 of P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-25) is amended to read as follows:
25. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of subtitle 4 of Title 27 of the Revised Statutes and P.L.1946, c.301 (C.27:15A-1 et seq.), the commissioner may, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law, allocate to counties and municipalities funds for the planning, acquisition, engineering, construction, reconstruction, repair, resurfacing and rehabilitation of public highways and the planning, acquisition, engineering, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance and rehabilitation of public transportation projects and of other transportation projects which a county or municipality may be authorized by law to undertake.
b. The commissioner shall, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law, allocate at his discretion State aid to counties and municipalities for transportation projects, except that the amount to be appropriated for this program shall be seven percent of the total amount appropriated pursuant to subsection d. of this section. This State aid shall be set aside prior to any formula allocations provided for in subsections c., d., e., f., and g. of this section, and shall be known as the "Local Aid Infrastructure Fund." In the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2016, any amount appropriated to the Local Aid Infrastructure Fund above $7,500,000 shall be deposited into the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank Fund, established pursuant to section 34 of P.L.2016, c.56 (C.58:11B-10.4).
c. The commissioner shall, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law and pursuant to the provisions of subsections b. and d. of this section, allocate State aid to municipalities for public highways under their jurisdiction. The amount to be appropriated shall be allocated on the basis of the following distribution factor:
Pc Cm
DF = ____ + ____
Ps Sm
where, DF equals the distribution factor
Pc equals county population
Ps equals State population
Cm equals municipal road mileage within the county
Sm equals municipal road mileage within the State.
After the amount of aid has been allocated based on the above formula, the commissioner shall determine priority for the funding of municipal projects within each county, based upon criteria relating to volume of traffic, safety considerations, growth potential, readiness to obligate funds, and local taxing capacity. In addition to the above criteria used in determining priority of funding of municipal projects in each county, the commissioner shall consider whether a project is intended to remedy hazardous conditions as identified for the purposes of providing transportation pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1.2 for school pupils or to improve pedestrian safety.
For the purposes of this subsection, (1) "population" means the official population count as reported by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and (2) "municipal road mileage" means that road mileage under the jurisdiction of municipalities, as determined by the department.
d. There shall be appropriated at least $175,000,000 for each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2006 through the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2015, and $400,000,000 for each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2016 and for each fiscal year thereafter, for the purposes provided herein and in subsections b., c., e., f., and g. of this section. (1) Of that appropriation, the commissioner shall allocate 37.5 percent of the total appropriation as State aid for municipalities pursuant to the provisions of subsection c. of this section, provided that $5,000,000 for each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2006 through the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2015, and $10,000,000 for each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2016 and for each fiscal year thereafter of the amount allocated as State aid for municipalities shall be set aside and sub-allocated as State aid to any municipality qualifying for aid pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1978, c.14 (C.52:27D-178 et seq.). The commissioner shall allocate the aid to each municipality in the same proportion that the municipality receives aid under P.L.1978, c.14 (C.52:27D-178 et seq.). (2) The commissioner shall allocate 37.5 percent of the total appropriation pursuant to the provisions of subsection e. of this section for the Local County Aid Program. (3) The commissioner shall allocate seven percent of the total appropriation pursuant to the provisions of subsection b. of this section for the "Local Aid Infrastructure Fund." (4) The commissioner shall allocate seven percent of the appropriation pursuant to the provisions of subsection f. of this section for the "Local Freight Impact Fund." (5) The remaining 11 percent of the appropriation shall be allocated pursuant to the provisions of subsection g. of this section for the "Local Bridges Fund."
e. The commissioner may, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law, allocate additional funding to the Local County Aid Program for public highway projects, in accordance with a formula similar to that provided for in subsection c. of this section, except that Cm equals road mileage under county jurisdiction and Sm equals total county road mileage within the State.
f. The commissioner shall, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law, allocate at the commissioner's discretion, State aid to counties and municipalities for transportation projects that address the impacts of freight travel in local communities and on local transportation infrastructure, except that the amount to be appropriated for this program shall be seven percent of the total amount appropriated pursuant to subsection d. of this section. This State aid shall be set aside prior to any formula allocations provided for in subsections c., d., e., and g. of this section, and shall be known as the "Local Freight Impact Fund."
g. The commissioner shall, pursuant to appropriations or authorizations being made from time to time by the Legislature according to law, allocate at the commissioner's discretion, State aid to counties and municipalities for transportation projects that address the condition of bridges under the jurisdiction of counties with an emphasis on repair and reconstruction of those with the greatest structural deficiencies, except that the amount to be appropriated for this program shall be 11 percent of the total amount appropriated pursuant to subsection d. of this section. This State aid shall be set aside prior to any formula allocations provided for in subsections c., d., e., and f. of this section, and shall be known as the "Local Bridges Fund."
h. For each fiscal year commencing July 1, 2021 through the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2028, the commissioner shall allocate $3,000,000 from the annual appropriations of revenues and other funds of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority to the department, for the establishment of the "Future Road Technologies Fund."
In the first fiscal year following enactment and each fiscal year thereafter, until all moneys from the fund have been allocated, the commissioner shall allocate $1,000,000 each to three counties, one in the northern region of the State, one in the central region of the State, and one in the southern region of the State for the construction, reconstruction, repair, and rehabilitation of a road, under the jurisdiction of the county, with the use of prefabricated plastic materials or mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials. Each county in the State shall be in receipt of an award from the department pursuant to this subsection no more than once.
Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, road projects and awards of funds shall be subject to the provisions of the Local County Aid Program, pursuant to this section.
(cf: P.L.2016, c.56, s.9)
2. a. (New section) The Commissioner of Transportation shall provide technical assistance to each county provided an award from the "Future Road Technologies Fund", pursuant to subsection h. of section 25 of P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-25), and shall coordinate with facilities that produce prefabricated plastic road materials or process recycled plastic materials to assist each county in acquiring the proper prefabricated plastic road materials or developing a mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials suitable for use on roads in this State.
b. The commission shall prepare and submit a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature containing an evaluation of the projects conducted by counties awarded funds from the "Future Road Technologies Fund" pursuant to subsection h. of section 25 of P.L.1984, c.73 (C.27:1B-25). The report shall be submitted no later than one year after the final award has been allocated from the "Future Road Technologies Fund" and shall provide a comprehensive review of the projects, including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the road projects constructed with the use of prefabricated plastic materials or mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials for use on other types of road projects, a discussion of extending the "Future Road Technologies Fund" to include municipalities in the State, and any other information the commissioner determines to be relevant to the report.
3. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2021.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a "Future Road Technologies Fund" (fund) to allocate $3,000,000 annually to facilitate the construction, reconstruction, repair and rehabilitation of roads using prefabricated plastic materials or mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials by counties on county roads.
Under the bill, in the first fiscal year following enactment and each year thereafter, until all moneys from the fund have been allocated, the Commissioner of Transportation (commissioner) is to allocate $1,000,000 each to three counties, one in the northern region, one in the central region, and one in the southern region of the State for the construction, reconstruction, repair, and rehabilitation of a road, under the jurisdiction of the county, with the use of prefabricated plastic materials or mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials. Each county is to receive an award from the Department of Transportation (department) no more than once.
Road projects and awards of funds are to be made in accordance with the provisions of the Local County Aid Program.
The bill requires the commissioner to provide technical assistance to each county provided an award from the fund and to coordinate with facilities that produce prefabricated plastic road materials or process recycled plastic materials to assist each county in acquiring the proper prefabricated plastic road materials or developing a mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials suitable to be used on roads in this State.
Finally, the commissioner is to prepare and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature containing an evaluation of the projects conducted by counties awarded funds from the fund, no later than one year after the final award has been allocated from the fund. The report is to provide a comprehensive review of the projects, including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the road projects constructed with the use of prefabricated plastic materials or mixed-aggregate asphalt containing recycled plastic materials for use on other types of road projects, a discussion of extending the fund to include municipalities in the State, and any other information the commissioner determines to be relevant to the report.
