Nearly all of New Jersey’s cities and towns are set to receive state money for repairs and improvements to roads and bridges — funded by the state’s recently increased gas tax, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday.

Murphy’s administration has allocated $161.25 million in the next taxpayer-funded state budget for municipal aid grants to pay for local transportation projects in 537 of the 565 municipalities in the Garden State. (That’s 95 percent of them.)

“We are the densest state in the nation,” Murphy said during a news conference in East Orange. “Moving people and things safely around our state is not a passing interest. It is existential as it relates to our society and our economic viability.”

The money comes from New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, which is fueled by the state’s gas tax, which was increased by 23 cents in 2016 and recently went up another 4.3 cents last fall.

“I am often asked, ‘Where is my gas tax money? You raised my gas tax 23 cents. What happened to it?’” state Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “This is what happened to it."

“Without improving our local streets and our county roads, our transportation system doesn’t work well,” Guitierrez-Scaccetti said.

In all, 544 municipalities applied for the grants, which are chosen by an independent panel of New Jersey municipal engineers, the governor’s office said.

The next state budget — which takes effect July 1 — still needs to be approved by the state Legislature before Murphy can sign it into law.

Here’s a look at how the money will be doled out across all of the state’s 21 counties and which big projects will be funded:

ATLANTIC COUNTY: $6,321,672

Atlantic County will receive funding for 21 projects. The largest award is $515,531 for Fairmount Avenue and Atlantic Avenue improvements in Atlantic City.

BERGEN COUNTY: $14,218,685

Bergen — the state’s most populous county — will receive the most funding, sprinkled across 70 projects. The largest award is $255,610 for the Main Street Streetscape project in Hackensack.

BURLINGTON COUNTY: $9,060,870

Burlington County received funding for 37 projects. The largest award is $363,409 for the resurfacing of Garfield Drive in Willingboro.

CAMDEN COUNTY: $8,746,211

Camden County received funding for 35 projects. The largest award is $400,000 for the reconstruction of Devon Avenue and West High Street in Haddon Heights.

CAPE MAY COUNTY: $2,761,143

Cape May County received funding for 16 projects. The largest award is $240,000 for improvements to West Avenue 26th to 32nd in Ocean City.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY: $3,447,338

Cumberland County received funding for 13 projects. The largest award is $461,896 for Spruce Street construction in Bridgeton.

ESSEX COUNTY: $13,456,897

Essex — the state’s third most populous county — received funding for 22 projects. The largest award is $2,924,466 for various streets in Newark, the state’s most populous municipality. Another big award: a road resurfacing program in Irvington is slated to receive $1,012,585.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY: $5,644,309

Gloucester County received funding for 23 projects. The largest award is $288,084 for Main Street improvements in Monroe.

HUDSON COUNTY: $8,610,003

Hudson County received funding for 11 projects. The largest award is $2,079,311 for Grand Street improvements in Jersey City, the state’s second most populous municipality.

HUNTERDON COUNTY: $3,930,134

Hunterdon County received funding for 24 projects. The largest award is $212,110 for Hopewell Avenue improvements in Flemington.

MERCER COUNTY: $6,889,885

Mercer County received funding for 12 projects. The largest award is $1,163,151 for roadway preservation in Trenton.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY: $12,743,887

Middlesex County received funding for 25 projects. The largest award is $607,164 for South Broadway improvements in South Amboy.

MONMOUTH COUNTY: $12,919,026

Monmouth County received funding for 52 projects. The largest award is $339,686 for Memorial Drive improvements in Asbury Park.

MORRIS COUNTY: $9,786,452

Morris County received funding for 35 projects. Six municipalities — Boonton, Butler, East Hanover, Morris Township, Mountain Lakes, and Riverdale — each received the largest award, $499,000, for various projects.

OCEAN COUNTY: $10,741,440

Ocean County received funding for 33 projects. The largest award is $410,000 for Saint Louis Avenue improvements in Point Pleasant Beach.

PASSAIC COUNTY: $8,023,47

Passaic County received funding for 16 projects. The largest award is $1,445,857 for road resurfacing in Paterson, the state’s third most populous municipality.

SALEM COUNTY: $1,744,548

Salem County received funding for 10 projects. The largest award is $200,000 for Morton Avenue improvements in Pittsgrove.

SOMERSET COUNTY: $6,457,167

Somerset County received funding for 21 projects. The largest award is $400,000 for Willow Road improvements in Hillsborough.

SUSSEX COUNTY: $3,677,692

Sussex County received funding for 21 projects. Four municipalities — Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta, and Vernon — each received the largest award, $223,000, for various projects.

UNION COUNTY: $8,321,157

Union County received funding for 21 projects. The largest award is $649,255 for Woodland Avenue improvements in Plainfield.

WARREN COUNTY: $2,828,681

Warren County received funding for 21 projects. The largest award is $214,881 for Heckman Street improvements in Phillipsburg.

WHAT ABOUT MY TOWN?

Click here to see all the projects that will be funded.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Larry Higgs contributed to this report.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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