South Bergen News

TEANECK, NJ — On July 10, 2023, underneath the structurally deficient Route 4 Hackensack River Bridge, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined laborers from across New Jersey to announce that his office is creating a new online ‘Infrastructure Investment Portal’ — a real-time system to provide information on, and track, competitive Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill federal investment dollars and grant opportunities for the towns and counties in New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District. 

Gottheimer noted that other states, like Michigan and Louisiana, are winning federal grants made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill because they have created easy to use websites that list in real-time all the infrastructure grants their towns are eligible for, while many towns and counties in Jersey may be unaware of the same opportunities.

The one-stop-shop webpage will educate towns, counties, and nonprofits on available grants they’re eligible for to ensure that qualifying local infrastructure projects are federally funded — helping take a burden off local budgets to save taxpayers money, creating jobs, and getting shovels in the ground faster to improve North Jersey’s infrastructure.

Gottheimer helped write, negotiate, and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to invest more than $12 billion into Jersey’s infrastructure — including building the Gateway Train Tunnel, repairing Jersey’s outdated roads and bridges, taking lead and forever chemicals out of drinking water, improving resiliency to floods and other climate-causing challenges, bringing electric vehicle charges and broadband to places without it, lowering emissions and pollution from public transportation, and upgrading the power infrastructure for clean energy. 

“Too often, the Moocher States end up winning federal infrastructure grants simply because our towns and counties may not have known they were eligible. This new ‘Infrastructure Investment Portal’ will be a one-stop-shop of information and will help educate towns, counties, and nonprofits on available grants – and will help all of us track what we’ve applied for,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We need to be aggressive in applying for these opportunities so that we can invest in our local infrastructure and save Jersey residents’ hard-earned dollars tax dollars. Much of this work will be led by our hardworking men and women of labor. They build our roads, tunnels, transit, and electric vehicle stations, lay new broadband fiber, and fought incredibly hard for the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.”

“I applaud Congressman Gottheimer for taking the initiative to connect potential sources of federal infrastructure aid to local communities. The need for federal support in New Jersey is certainly great and we must do more as a state to apply for and win federal dollars for local infrastructure improvements,” said Michael E. Hellstrom, Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager, Laborers’ International Union of North America.

“On behalf of all the trades here today including the Central Labor Council, we want to thank Congressman Gottheimer for all he’s doing. He’s bringing back more money for the state of New Jersey than anybody has ever done in his district before. This new website that they’re creating is going to allow municipalities, nonprofits, and counties to go after the money that he gets back from Washington that will help infrastructure projects throughout New Jersey,” said Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council President Michael Schneider.

“The communities that are strengthened with these infrastructure bills and money that is coming in — we thank Josh Gottheimer. On behalf of all my union brothers and sisters and the laborers, I’m grateful to thank the leadership and hard work of Congressman Josh Gottheimer,” said NJ LECET Business Development Manager and Laborers Local 172 member Randy Brolo.

“Over my tenure as town manager, there is no one more instrumental in championing funds back to the state of New Jersey than Congressman Gottheimer. The residents of Teaneck are very appreciative,” said Teaneck Township Manager Dean Kazinci.

Gottheimer was joined on July 10 by Teaneck Township Manager Dean Kazinci, New Jersey State Laborers PAC (LiUNA) Treasurer/Administrator John Duthie, NJ LECET (LiUNA) Business Development Manager and Laborers Local 172 member Randy Brolo, Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council President Michael Schneider, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) 825 Business Representative Cesar Gamio, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Miscagnia of IBEW 164, Sheet Metal Workers Local 25 President Joe Demark, Building and General Construction Laborers (LiUNA) Local 3, Dockbuilders Local 1556, Pipefitters Local 274, Iron Workers Local 11, Roofers Local 10, Sprinkler Fitters Local 696, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 164, and Plumbers Local 24.

Video of the announcement can be found here.

Original source can be found here