The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) Board of Trustees unanimously approved $800,000 last Monday to retrofit off-road construction equipment such as bulldozers, graders, and pavers with pollution control devices that will reduce diesel emissions, according to the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED).

The funding will support Phase 1 of New Jersey’s Clean Construction Program, which will allocate a total of $2.5 million to retrofit 175 pieces of equipment being used for state-financed projects in urban environments, AED says. In April, Gov. Chris Christie signed an executive order establishing the program to improve air quality in densely populated urban areas, where residents are disproportionately exposed to emissions from construction sites.

“This is an important public health measure that will help protect residents from the heavy diesel exhaust produced by construction vehicles and equipment,” said NJTPA Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan, also a Union County Freeholder, in a written statement. “People who live and work in northern and central New Jersey’s urban communities will breathe cleaner air when there are road projects in their neighborhoods thanks to this program.”