New Jersey will spend a record $2.4 billion for road, bridge and mass transit projects in the next fiscal year, including increasing money for repaving by 30 percent, to $53 million, Gov. Christie Whitman announced yesterday.

Almost $1.2 billion of the total will come from the federal government, with the state Transportation Trust Fund contributing more than $800 million. Another $295 million will come from a special bond issue approved by the state legislature last year.

But the rosy spending plan comes with a big footnote: the Whitman administration and state lawmakers must carry through on a deal to reauthorize the Transporation Trust Fund in time for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. The trust fund typically provides almost half the money for each year's transportation work, but the existing fund will run out of money after June.

As part of a proposed deal with Senate President Donald DiFrancesco (R-Union) and others, Whitman would direct more than $200 million in additional state revenue into the fund, which already receives about $480 million in gas tax and other money. The funds are used to issue the bonds that actually pay for much of the work. The extra cash would keep the fund afloat for several more years without raising taxes.

"I'm optimistic it will be embraced by the Legislature," said state Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein. "It provides the largest (construction and) capital program, when combined with bridge bond revenues, in the state's transportation history."

The money is essential, he said. "It's important due to our aging system, due to the tremendous congestion we face and due to the investments we have to make as a result of the tremendous growth that is happening because of the economy."

Not all of the money goes for shovel work. Much is spent on planning, engineering design and buying rights-of-way. Some goes for new projects and some to continue work already begun.

Although the overall spending plan was released yesterday, many of the details were not yet available.

DOT officials said they won't finalize the list of roads to be repaved until a post-winter pavement survey is completed, to give an idea of which stretches are in the greatest need of resurfacing.

But work is likely on sections of Route 202 in Morris and perhaps Somerset counties, as well as stretches of Route 22 in Union County and Route 35 in the Seaside Heights area, engineers said.

The spending blueprint contains $481 million for bridge work, with local bridges getting about $174 million.

Work will continue on a new Route 21 viaduct in Newark, as well as on the ramps connecting Route 78 with Routes 1&9 near Newark International Airport.

Widening and upgrading work will continue in places such as Route 31 in Hunterdon County between Clinton and Flemington, and at the intersection of Routes 80, 46, and 23 in Wayne.

NJ Transit will receive $856 million, with money going for everything from track and station rehabilitation work to improved safety braking systems for trains and overhauling rail cars.