MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners tonight presented a $35 million capital spending plan for 2025 to maintain the critical infrastructure supporting the education, public safety, and human services programs that enhance our residents’ quality of life.
The Capital Budget Committee, led by Commissioners Tayfun Selen, Deborah Smith and Stephen H. Shaw, chairman of the committee, outlined the proposal during a public meeting in Morristown. The total spending plan is $48,585,406 but will be offset by $13,183,294 in various grants.
The capital spending plan focuses on continued investments in facility upgrades, maintaining infrastructure from roads and bridges to dam safety and intersection improvements, and investing in our future, including support for the County College of Morris’s construction of a Center for Health Professions.
“Months ago, the Capital Budget Committee and our administrative staff began reviewing capital investment proposals from all county departments, constitutional officers and related county agencies. It is a long-standing practice that has enabled us to plan our capital expenditures early each year and, as we will in 2025, move forward on adopting a complete county budget so that our capital projects may be put out to bid early and get underway,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Shaw.
Morris County’s inventory of capital responsibility, which requires regular maintenance and upgrades, is extensive and diverse. It includes much more than the Morris County Administration & Records Building in Morristown and the Human Services and Law & Public Safety complexes in Morris Township and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.
The Morris County infrastructure responsibility also includes, in part:
- 287 miles of county roads in all 39 Morris County municipalities
- 1,000 bridges and culverts throughout all Morris County municipalities
- 3 Freight Railroads
- 1,200 vehicles and or pieces of equipment used by various county agencies
- 3.4 million square feet of buildings and structures
- 20,450 acres of parkland & 38 recreational facilities
The County of Morris also is responsible for:
- Maintaining all trees within county road rights-of-way
- Facilities required by the judiciary, sheriff, law, and public safety
- Mosquito Control services throughout all of Morris County
“Our 2025 capital spending plan allocates $8.58 million for bridge and culvert replacements, including heavily traveled spans in Montville, Mount Olive, and Jefferson Township, continuing Morris County’s leadership in bridge upgrades. We also anticipate resurfacing another 20.6 miles of county roads this coming year,” said Commissioner Selen.
The plan designates $11 million for resurfacing roadways in 11 municipalities next year, bringing the total to more than 230 miles of roads resurfaced since 2016.
The plan also includes a $4.46 million investment in the County College of Morris’s ongoing plan to construct an 80,000-square-foot Center for Health Professions on campus to support educational excellence and workforce development.
“We are dedicated to strengthening education, enhancing public safety, and supporting human services,” said Commissioner Smith. “These investments will provide vital training and equipment for public safety personnel, and ensure our park system, which is the largest county park system in New Jersey, remains safe and accessible.”
The 2025 Capital Spending Highlights
- $2.56 million for intersection improvements, including:
- Ridgedale Avenue and Garfield Avenue in East Hanover
- Main Street Improvements in the Town of Boonton
- Guide Rail upgrades and installations throughout the County
- $11 million for roadway resurfacing in 11 municipalities, including:
- 3.3 miles of Green Pond Road (CR 513) from Jacobs Road south to Upper Hibernia Road in Rockaway Township
- 2.5 miles of Spring Valley Road (CR 601) from Village Road to Blackberry Lane in Harding Township
- 2.5 miles of Sussex Turnpike (CR 617) from West Hanover Avenue to Dover Chester Road in Randolph Township
- 2.5 miles of Berkshire Valley Road (CR 699) in Jefferson Township
- $8.58 million for bridge and culvert projects, including:
- Replacement of Bridge #433, Old Bloomfield Avenue in Montville Township
- Bridge #1138 Pleasant Hill Road in Mount Olive
- Bridge #927 Cozy Lake Road in Jefferson Township
Strategic Investments in Human Services and Public Safety
- $1.5 million for the replacement of workstations to maximize usable space in the Office of Temporary Assistance in the Department of Human Services
- $4.87 million for the replacement of Sheriff’s K-9 Unit Offices and Kennels
