MIDDLETOWN — New Jersey is moving to a "new normal" in the wake of Sandy as more residents move out of shelters, get their power turned back on and send their children back to school, Gov. Chris Christie said.

In one of his first acts to return to pre-Sandy days, Christie said he’s lifting the odd-even gas rationing system beginning 6 a.m. Tuesday that has been in place for 12 northern counties since shortly after the superstorm caused widespread destruction in the Garden State.

He also said all but about 100 schools – located in the hardest-hit areas – will be open tomorrow. The most severely damaged are in Monmouth and Ocean counties, but there are some also in Bergen and Passaic counties, he said.

By this morning, there were fewer than 1,000 families without power in the state, he said, noting power companies almost hit their target of having all power restored by Sunday. That’s down from a high of 2.76 million in the immediate aftermath of Sandy and another 300,000 from last week’s nor’easter.

Fort Monmouth will open by the end of this week to residents in need of long-term temporary housing from Sandy, he said.

The former military base, in Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls, could house between 400 and 600 families, said Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable.

Christie said that because the fort hasn't been mothballed for long — it closed last year as part of a federal realignment — there isn't too much to do to prepare it for families in need. But the immediate need is getting power to the residences there, he said.

Some 877 people were in shelters last night, compared to 1,600 going into the weekend, but the people still in need of housing could be much higher, Christie said, because there are many displaced residents living with family and friends.

“We’re entering into a new rebuilding phase post Hurricane Sandy,” Christie said at a briefing held at a new Federal Emergency Management Agency joint operations center in a vacant office building in Lincroft. “After two weeks of a recovery phase, we’ve achieved a new normal for life in post-Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey.”

PATH trains resumed access from Newark to 33d Street in Manhattan this morning and are running in both directions. With rail testing in the North Hudson River Tunnel completed, the Northeast Corridor line will have a total of 24 Amtrak and NJ Transit trains per hour heading in and out of New York City, he said.

NJ Transit resumed limited service on the Morris and Essex lines, including Midtown Direct service.

He urged commuters to use the expanded free Park-And-Ride and ferry service into New York City.

Christie said it’s not a return to normal for some 30,000 residents on the barrier islands who have not been allowed to return to their homes because of the need to repair the infrastructure for electricity, gas and water.

He said he will be meeting this week with mayors and utility companies serving those towns.

“The storm hit with real strength two weeks ago today,” he said. “In two weeks’ time, with the help of all the people across the state, we’ve returned to a sense of normalcy in this state.”

He added, “It’s time to go back to work. And it’s time to now focus on the task of rebuilding our state.”

He said it will be expensive and complicated, taking months for some, but years for others.

Follow @starledger

Related coverage:

• N.J. residents experience mixed results on first day of gas rationing rules

• Gov. Christie signs order to ration gas in 12 N.J. counties

• Complete Hurricane Sandy coverage