LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners recently unveiled a comprehensive capital spending plan for Morris County, which includes funding for multiple projects in Long Valley.
The Capital Budget Committee of the board, comprised of Commissioners Tayfun Selen, Stephen H. Shaw and Deborah Smith, outlined the plan during a public meeting last month in Morristown.
The 2024 Capital Spending Plan, minus state grants and ongoing legacy commitments, invests nearly $35 million into educational facilities, human services support, public safety, health, county parks and upgrades to roads, intersections and bridges.
“The capital budget process began several months ago with the administration getting requests and back-up from the various county departments. We like to get our capital plan completed early so we can be among the first public entities to send projects out to bid,” said Shaw, chairman of the county budget committee.
In addition to education, the plan prioritizes public safety, health, "and the needs of our veterans and vulnerable residents," according to the commissioner's spending plan statement.
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The county government is in charge of funding the county courts, sheriff's office, penitentiary facility, public safety training academy, and mosquito control. It also supervises the largest county park system in the state.
The spending plan continues the county's policy of using federal COVID-19 relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act to offset future capital project borrowing needs, according to the commissioners.
Allocations from those funds to meet capital expenses will continue until 2025.
In Long Valley, the spending plan includes $300,000 in funds for construction work on the Columbia Trail Crossings, specifically to add in rapid flashing beacons.
The county will also be separating a portion of $16.5 million to fund 1.6 miles of road resurfacing on Schooley’s Mountain Road, specifically from Mill Road to Springtown Road.
“We will continue to lead the state in bridge upgrades with the addition of $5.4 million to our 2024 Capital Plan. By the end of next year, we will have replaced 43 bridges and rehabilitated six others over the past eight years,” Selen said.
Last year, Morris County provided funding for construction on the 150-year-old Schooley's Mountain Road bridge.
The county funded the million-dollar project, which included rebuilding the downstream wall and removing all material above the stone arches.
The plans also included the installation of lightweight concrete and a new waterproof membrane on top of the arches, which has extended the bridge's life by 30 to 40 years, according to county engineers.
"When you have historic structures, like we have, especially ones that everybody drives over 12 times a day, eventually it has to be replaced. It's better to do it proactively than to have it fall down," Washington Township Mayor Matt Murello said.