Monday, December 23, 2024

Murphy Administration Launches New Interactive Website to Track Billions in Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments – Insider NJ

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Interactive Website Tracks Funding Allocations, Monitors Progress and Impact of BIL Programs

New Jersey Becomes Fifth State to Launch an Online Funding Tracker to Monitor BIL-Related Investments

 

TRENTON – The Murphy Administration today announced the launch of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Formula Funding Tracker, an interactive website that will provide insight into how federal BIL funds, and state matching dollars, are being used statewide and measure the progress and impact of BIL-funded projects.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is enabling states to make the type of transformational investments not seen since the New Deal,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “New Jersey has an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine and transform its aging infrastructure, protect its natural resources, and address longstanding inequities experienced by underserved communities throughout the state. This new website will enable taxpayers to monitor their dollars in action and track the progress we are making on all of these fronts.”

The federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also referred to as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), is providing vast resources across a broad spectrum that are enabling New Jersey to make once-in-a-generation investments to improve and transform infrastructure throughout the state.

New Jersey is believed to be one of the first states to take the initiative in launching an online funding tracker to enable the public to monitor BIL-related investments of both federal and state tax dollars. The Biden-Harris Administration highlights state-by-state investments made possible through the President’s agenda on invest.gov.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s partnership with Governor Murphy is invaluable in our efforts to invest in New Jersey and deliver meaningful, tangible progress for families,” said Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez. “Communities across the New Jersey can now follow along as federal and state dollars power the infrastructure renaissance taking place in neighborhoods across the state.”

The BIL Formula Funding Tracker provides users with project locations and descriptions, phases of work, funding allocations, and the amount expended. The site’s dashboards feature searchable data, location mapping, and customized reports and analysis. The tracker integrates funding and expenditure data received from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, NJ TRANSIT, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. This data will be updated quarterly.

Projects chosen for BIL-funds are assessed based on a variety of factors, including environmental and social justice for underserved communities, impacts on sustainability and resilience, and how they help advance Governor Murphy’s goals of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging throughout the state.

The Administration is actively working on incorporating equity and sustainability analysis, which is expected to be rolled out soon.

To date, the five-year bill, which was signed into law in 2022, has provided New Jersey with more than $7.28 billion in formula funds. Governor Murphy’s administration has prioritized tracking funding disbursements and identifying areas to further support Local Public Agencies (LPAs) in capturing additional funding resources.

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