By Anne Levin

Princeton has received $818,256 from the State of New Jersey for pedestrian safety between Nassau Street and Franklin Avenue, part of the North Harrison Street Improvements Project.

On November 14, Gov. Phil Murphy announced $150 million in fiscal year 2025 Municipal Aid grants. Princeton is one of 540 cities and towns across the state to be granted funds for advancing road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements.

Though the grants are competitive, every municipality that applied for funding received one, according to Murphy’s office. A total of 595 applications requested $375 million in aid.

“Municipal Aid allows our communities to undertake transportation projects that significantly improve the quality of life for New Jersey residents,” said Murphy. “Under our administration’s stewardship, the state is doing its part to help municipalities improve local infrastructure, so we have a safe and efficient transportation system throughout the state.”

In Mercer County, amounts ranged from $272,500 for Hopewell Borough to $969,105 for Trenton. More than 41 percent, or $61.9 million, is going to municipalities with Complete Streets policies. Another $22.2 million is being awarded to 56 communities where the project meets equity criteria to benefit low income and minority populations.

Princeton’s North Harrison Street Improvements Project covers a 2.5-mile stretch of the Harrison Street corridor. At a meeting of Princeton Council on November 18, the consulting firm Michael Baker Inc. provided a first look at a study of the roadway, which runs from Harrison Street’s southern border to Route 206.

At the meeting, Municipal Engineer/Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton said the town was waiting to hear about the grant. News of the grant was delivered soon after.

“It is going to be the first project out of the Harrison Street Corridor Study, so we’re pleased we were able to get so much money from the state,” Stockton said this week. “It’s competitive with other towns in Mercer County.”

Eight project categories are eligible for funding in the Municipal Aid grant program: roadway preservation, roadway safety, quality of life, mobility, bikeway, pedestrian safety, bridge preservation, and pavement preservation. The grants are administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) Division of Local Aid and Economic Development.

Each county gets a share of the total funding based on population and the number of local centerline miles (representing the total length of a given road from its starting point to its end point). NJDOT provides 75 percent of the grant amount when a town awards a contract, and the rest when the project is completed.

Council President Mia Sacks called the grant “welcome news,” adding, “The improvements are designed to facilitate traffic calming, and to enhance bike and pedestrian safety, in keeping with Princeton’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero goals.”

A more detailed study of the North Harrison Street Improvements Project will be made available to the public in the future. An application for an additional grant will be submitted for the next stage of the plan.