The New Jersey commission that oversees the state capitol building has authorized Republican Gov. Chris Christie's plan for a four-year, $300 million renovation of the statehouse.

The State Capitol Joint Management Commission voted 7-0, with one abstention. to approve a resolution endorsing the project on Tuesday.

Christie had announced plans last fall for the major renovations to the deteriorating 18th-century building. Workers have begun boarding up windows with plywood.

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Treasurer Ford Scudder said in February the governor's office and state department employees who work in the statehouse would be moving to a state building down the street in the capital.

Christie says the building is a "fire trap" that hasn't been significantly updated in six decades.