The RTP program for EXPANDING and IMPROVING access NOT for CLOSING ROADS. Period.
As a result of information provided by OTNJ, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) initiated a review of NJDEP’s use of federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds in Wharton State Forest, and the findings are serious.
FHWA found that NJDEP did not have adequate documentation to support the use of RTP-funded trail markers, signs, decals, and labor. Among other things, FHWA found:
- Thousands of prohibitory decals were purchased, but NJDEP had no installation records, work logs, or maps to substantiate how they were used.
- Labor charged to the RTP trail steward project lacked daily work logs, work orders, maps, and detailed activity records.
- 300 trail posts purchased with RTP funds were still sitting in inventory after the project was certified complete, making those costs unallowable under federal rules.
- FHWA also found that NJDEP could not document that “Monitoring Cameras in Use” decals purchased with RTP funds were used in a manner consistent with RTP eligibility.
As a result, FHWA required NJDEP to repay $6,030 in federal funds and issued a Corrective Action Plan.
That plan requires NJDEP to:
- Develop procedures to document where and when RTP-funded signs and trail posts are installed
- Implement daily work logs and detailed labor documentation for staff charged to RTP projects
- Justify future material and supply purchases,
- Submit supporting backup with reimbursement requests, and
- Provide greater transparency in project descriptions going forward.
FHWA is also increasing its oversight, including review of project scopes, amendments, and reimbursement requests.
Why is this significant? Because FHWA did not just receive a complaint and move on. It found enough noncompliance to require repayment, impose corrective actions, and tighten federal oversight of NJDEP’s RTP program.
That is a serious outcome.
All three of the reviewed projects were overseen by the same senior NJDEP official in South Jersey, someone who should have been fully aware of the documentation and compliance requirements attached to federal grant funding. This does not appear to be a case of a simple clerical mistake or misunderstanding by junior staff. The scope of the missing documentation and the pattern across multiple projects raise broader questions of management, oversight, and accountability.
There will be more to come on this topic.
Read the full report from the FHWA here: https://www.opentrailsnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Final-FHWA-Corrective-Action-Plan-to-NJDEP.pdf