“The need for action in New Jersey is clear and recently released state-level data demonstrates that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver for New Jersey. For decades, infrastructure in New Jersey has suffered from a systemic lack of investment.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will Deliver for New Jersey press release from the Biden White House sums it up perfectly; NJ local governments are in a prime position to capitalize on infrastructure investments that are long overdue.
As infrastructure grant funds continue to get dispersed across the United States, as a local government official in New Jersey, you’re probably forging a strategic plan for your municipality and pondering the infrastructure development and maintenance projects your community needs most.
Explore this GovPilot guide to the NJ infrastructure bill for everything you need to know about where grant dollars are being allocated in the Garden State and ways your municipality can maximize every dollar.
How Much is New Jersey Receiving in Infrastructure Grant Funds?
Close to $4.8 billion has been given to New Jersey in infrastructure bill grants since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on November 15, 2021 by President Joe Biden with billions more set aside for roads, bridges, sustainable transit, high-speed local broadband internet and more in coming years.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will Deliver for New Jersey press release explained the desperate need NJ has for modernizing infrastructure, “the American Society of Civil Engineers gave New Jersey a D+ grade on its infrastructure report card. The historic [infrastructure bill] will make life better for millions of New Jersey residents, create a generation of good-paying union jobs and [stimulate local economic development], and position the United States to win the 21st century.”
What Types of NJ Infrastructure Projects are Being Funded by the Bill?
Learn more about the specific types of infrastructure that the federal government has earmarked grant funds for New Jersey to invest in.
Roads & Bridges
The largest percentage of grants are dedicated to bridges and roads. “In New Jersey there are 502 bridges and over 3,995 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 8.8% in New Jersey, and on average, each driver pays $713 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. Based on formula funding alone, New Jersey would expect to receive $6.8 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $1.1 billion for bridge replacement and repairs… over five years.”
Learn more about expediting construction workflows such as permitting and construction inspections via software in the following section.
Broadband Internet
In order to work-from-home, the office, or in the field, participate in childhood and collegiate education, and stay connected, New Jersey citizens need high-speed broadband internet to function in modern society.
“Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, New Jersey will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 115,468 people in New Jersey who currently lack it. And, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 1,566,000 or 18% of people in New Jersey will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.”
Why Does Your Municipality Need to Invest in Broadband Internet?
Local Governments Need to Invest in Broadband Infrastructure. As remote work has NJ residents skipping the NYC commute to work from home or grow their own businesses, NJ municipalities can drive revenue by getting businesses to operate from their community.
Beyond the boost to your local government budget, high-speed internet can improve your citizens’ access to education, news, digital municipal services, and job opportunities.
Your local government can improve workflows by making a municipal digital transformation to automate government tasks and store government data in the cloud.
GovPilot’s government software offers intuitive digital solutions for all local government departments. Learn more about How Public Sector Software Helps Every Department.
Cyber Attacks
New Jersey is taking serious action to mitigate against data breaches, with 375 cyber attacks against NJ government entities in 2022 alone. Just as Phil Murphy passed the New Jersey data breach notification law requiring NJ governments to report attacks within 3 days of them being discovered, the federal government is encouraging municipalities to modernize their cybersecurity protocols too.
$17 million is being provided to NJ state, county, and local governments in grant funds to implement public sector cybersecurity best practices.
How Should Municipalities Invest in Cybersecurity?
Here are commonly cited ways for mitigating against government cyber attacks:
- Use the government cloud to store data rather than antiquated physical servers that are easy to breach.
- Regularly back-up data to ensure retention of critical public sector data (GovPilot automatically backs up government wide data on a frequent basis)
- Educate government workers with cybersecurity training to prevent a hack due to human error.
- Invest in a government disaster recovery strategy.
- Use encrypted data storage and messaging for government communications.
- Perform vulnerability testing to make sure you meet federal and state cybersecurity regulations.
GovPilot is proud to be partnered with Microsoft Azure and is committed to providing cyber secure cloud-based government technology. Explore GovPilot’s Security Overview for more information.
Sustainable Transit & Local EV Infrastructure
“Residents of New Jersey who take public transportation spend an extra 83% of their time commuting and non-White households are twice as likely to commute via public transportation. 25% of transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. Based on formula funding alone, New Jersey would expect to receive $4.1 billion over five years under the [bill] to improve public transportation options across the state,” in order to provide, “healthy, sustainable transportation options for millions.”
As for electric vehicle investment, “New Jersey would expect to receive $104 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the state. New Jersey will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.”
Disaster Resilience
“From 2010 to 2020, New Jersey has experienced 23 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $50 billion in damages. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act…New Jersey will expect to receive $15 million over five years to protect against wildfires… New Jerseyans will also benefit from the bill’s historic $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization which will reduce energy costs for families.”
Learn more about prioritizing disaster mitigation as a local government:
- How to Build Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
- Winter Storm Mitigation & Disaster Planning Tips for Governments
- Landslide Mitigation & Disaster Planning Tips for Governments
- Flood Mitigation & Disaster Planning Tips for Governments
- Tornado Mitigation & Disaster Planning Tips for Governments
Local Water Utilities Infrastructure
“New Jersey will expect to receive $1 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.”
Here are more Tips for Governments to Protect Local Bodies of Water.
Airport Investment
“Airports in New Jersey [will] receive approximately $272 million for infrastructure development for airports over five years”
How to Plan for Your Local NJ Infrastructure Projects
Here are important ways for your local government to innovate and expedite progress on infrastructure projects that matter most to your citizens.
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Hear your citizens’ priorities with GovAlert
GovPilot’s report-a-concern app GovAlert is available for citizens of any community to report non-emergency issues digitally via their iPhone or Android. Once they download the application, they can report issues like potholes, litter, flooding, etc. and pinpoint them on a GIS map which is then submitted to the relevant government department and officials.
If you want to offer GovAlert as a feature of your government website, book a demo to become a GovPilot customer.
Collecting data on which infrastructure issues and projects matter most to your constituents will allow you to make more informed decisions about where to allocate NJ infrastructure grants.
2. Digitize construction permitting
Government construction software allows for digital construction permit applications to be submitted and approved virtually.
Bureaucracy around print and license approvals is a key reason that many infrastructure projects are slow moving. By digitizing the process, approvals can happen much faster with digital applications rather than physical applications to get projects done on time (or ahead of schedule.)
All property records are stored in the cloud and accessible via the GIS map with GovPilot’s public records technology.
The state passed its New Jersey Electronic Permitting Law several years back requiring local governments to move construction permitting online. Learn more about How Permitting Software Works.
3. Access property records with GIS mapping
Every GovPilot customer gets access to a local GIS map. Keep track of maintenance history or specific properties and infrastructure directly from a 3D map of your community to determine which infrastructure is especially overdue for investment and maintenance.
Here are All of the Ways Local Governments Need to Use GIS.
4. Forge a local government supply chain strategy
Here are ways to prioritize your municipal supply chain to ensure critical materials are arriving on time for infrastructure projects:
- Use government vendor management software to keep track of your private sector partners providing critical services and supplies
- Keep track of where your budget and grant funds are being allocated with government procurement software
- Use government asset management software to keep track of critical materials and products.
5. Inspect city wide infrastructure
Use digital inspection software like GovInspect to:
- remind inspectors about critical infrastructure inspections with scheduled notifications
- record inspections from the field digitally via a government mobile device like a tablet.
- keep digital records about the status of key infrastructure when deciding which assets to prioritize / interest in.
Invest in Government Digital Transformation
The infrastructure bill can transform NJ municipalities for the better with physical and digital infrastructure investment funds. Get GovPilot government software as you upgrade your digital infrastructure with federal grants for high-speed Internet and cybersecurity, and leverage the government technology to expedite construction workflows on your physical infrastructure investments like roads and bridges.
To learn more about the benefits of government management software, book a free demo.
Read on:
- NJDOH Grants for Local Health Departments
- NJ Lead Paint Inspection Law
- NJ 3-Day Affordable Housing Inspection Law
- NJ IT Business & Technology Plan
- Certificate of Liability Insurance Management Requirements for NJ Local Governments
- Texas Infrastructure Bill Grant Funds
- NY Local Government Cybersecurity Protocols
Sources
- https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2022/11/federal-infrastructure-bill-4-8b-president-biden-bridges-highways-water-infrastructure-electric-vehicles-charging-stations-internet-climate-change-resiliency-highway-bridges-buses-nj-transit/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/nyregion/nyc-commuter-rail-pandemic.html
- https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2023/04/20/nj-transit-facing-a-nearly-billion-dollar-hole-in-2026/70131020007/
