Infrastructure bill: Braen Stone, 118-year-old business in Franklin, to help rebuild NJ highways

Braen Stone in Franklin has what New Jersey needs to fix its roads and highways through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

That was the takeaway from a visit to the quarry last week by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). He came there to highlight his message that local businesses are key to fixing New Jersey.

Braen Stone produces crushed rock, sand, and gravel — essential raw materials and the main ingredients in concrete and asphalt, which are critical to building and fixing roads, highways, bridges, and tunnels. Last year alone, Braen Stone processed more than one million tons of aggregate for road and construction projects.

The 118-year-old business has been passed down through five generations.

More than $8 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will be used to fix New Jersey’s roads, highways, and bridges, Gottheimer said during his visit to Franklin. These repairs will help decrease commute times, increase safety, create new jobs, and grow the economy, he said.

Currently, a third of New Jersey’s bridges are considered unsafe or structurally-deficient, and more than 4,000 miles of Jersey roads are in poor condition, he said. “Our crumbling infrastructure is hurting our families and local communities, but the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will help fix the more than 500 bridges and nearly 4,000 miles of roads in poor condition here in Jersey — all without increasing the tax burden on North Jersey residents,” said Gottheimer. “This bipartisan legislation will help create new jobs and support local businesses like Braen Stone, improve commutes and safety, and save our families their hard-earned dollars when they aren’t repairing their cars from pothole damage. The cherry on top: for every $1 we invest in infrastructure, we can create $3 of economic output, which will help our North Jersey communities and businesses grow.”