Washington - U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ-13) today announced $1.95 million in federal funding they secured for the New Jersey Department of Transportation to reduce bottlenecks and improve Route 280 in Harrison.
"This federal funding is a major investment in Hudson County and an important step in alleviating bottlenecked traffic on Route 280 in Harrison," said Lautenberg, a member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee that funded this project. "Upgrading Route 280 will improve highway safety, reduce commute times, and help local businesses. This project will put people to work at good-paying jobs and boost the local economy."
"This investment in Harrison's roadways will help alleviate traffic backups in a particularly congested area, saving valuable time and making transportation safer and more efficient for our families and businesses." Menendez said. "It will also help our local economy by creating jobs for local workers to complete the project."
"Federal funding is needed to improve the Interstate 280 interchange, which is located in an area vital to regional economic development in Hudson County. This interchange improvement will produce tangible benefits including alleviating traffic congestion, creating jobs, and increasing vehicular safety," said Sires, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The project will entail consolidating the partial ramp system at I-280 in Harrison to create a single interchange that will alleviate bottlenecks at the existing intersections. Senators Lautenberg and Menendez recently secured an additional $1.5 million for the Harrison I-280 Interchange Improvements project in the FY 2011 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, which was approved in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The legislation now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
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