County Kicks Off Ambitious 2017 Road Paving Program -- 33 Miles of County Roads Targeted

Published on April 01, 2017

WORK HAS BEGUN ON JAMES STREET IN MORRISTOWN AND MORRIS TWP. and JACKSONVILLE ROAD FROM MONTVILLE TO PEQUANNOCK

Senior County Engineer Richard Johnson and Freeholder John Cesaro check a Dover road to be paved(JPG, 771KB) Senior County Engineer Richard Johnson and Freeholder John Cesaro check on a Dover road to be paved

The Morris County Board of Freeholders' aggressive 2017 county road resurfacing program, that is targeting 32.7 miles across 15 municipalities at a total cost of $9 million, has kicked off with projects now underway on James Street in Morristown and Morris Township, and Jacksonville Road in Montville, Pequannock and Lincoln Park.

Work on two other projects, Mountain Avenue in Long Hill and Loantaka Way in Chatham Township, will start in the near future.

The 2017 program is a continuation of the Freeholder Board's continuing policy of maintaining and improving the county's high quality road network.

We are very aware of the importance of properly maintaining the county road network in a first-rate county like Morris County,'' said Freeholder John Cesaro, the county governing board's liaison on public works and roads. It is a key factor in maintaining the high quality of life for our residents, visitors, medical and educational institutions, and businesses.''Moris County Freeholders road resurfacing signs

For 2017, the freeholders have allocated $5.1 million in the county's capital budget for paving, combined with nearly $3.9 million in anticipated state funding to finance paving projects. The county also is advancing projects for roads not paved, as expected, in 2016 due to delays caused by a state government stalemate over financing of the State Transportation Trust Fund.

Portions of county roads scheduled for paving in 2017 are located in Boonton, Boonton Township, Chatham Township, Dover, Hanover, Jefferson, Lincoln Park, Long Hill, Montville, Pequannock, Morristown, Morris Township, Morristown, Parsippany, Randolph, Roxbury, and Washington Township. This effort is in addition to any local or state road-improvement projects.

road crews resurfacing a roadSome of the more extensive work will include portions of Boonton Turnpike in Lincoln Park, Valley Road in Long Hill, Whippany Road in Hanover and Parsippany, Hillside Avenue in Roxbury, Meyersville Road in Long Hill and Chatham Township, and Powerville Road in Boonton Township.

We want to assure county residents that the freeholder board is committed to this effort. To allow our roads to fall into disrepair would not be acceptable,'' said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. We will make every effort to notify motorists in advance of upcoming road projects, to make sure required police presence and/or detours are in place, and that we cause the least disruption possible.''

To see the complete list of currently scheduled 2017 county paving projects, visit: http://transportation.morriscountynj.gov/2017-paving/

Upcoming projects include:

  • Be Prepared to Stop signJames Street, Morristown and Morris Twp.: The 0.8-mile project has two sections: Spring Brook Road to Nottingham Court, and Ogden Place to South Street. Schifano Construction is the project contractor. The bid price of the project is $364,697. Work is underway. Milling and paving should take about two days each. Motorists should expect some travel delays.
  • Jacksonville Road, Montville, Lincoln Park, and Pequannock: The 3.5-mile project will run from Main Street in Montville to West Parkway in Pequannock. Top Line Construction is the contractor. The bid price of the project is $973,142. Storm basin work is underway. Milling and paving should take about one week each, and should start the week of April 17. Motorists should expect some travel delays.
  • Mountain Avenue, Long Hill: The 1.1-mile project will run from residence Number 208 to the Somerset County border. Top Line Construction is the contractor. The bid price is $412,560. The project, including storm basin work, milling and paving, should start in the next two weeks and is expected to last two to three weeks. Motorists should expect some travel delays.
  • Loantaka Way, Chatham Twp.: The 0.7-mile project will run from Spring Valley Road to Shunpike Road. The contractor is Top Line Construction. The bid price of the project is $253,235. The project is expected to take a total of one week, including two days each for milling and paving. Expect traffic delays.

Bicycle detour sign(JPG, 11KB)Road closures and detours will be properly signed and coordinated with the local police departments for all of the projects. Bicyclists are urged to seek other routes during this construction period.

The Freeholders over the past four years have made the maintenance of the county's 287-mile road network a priority issue. To expedite projects, the freeholders for the past few years have approved short-term financing to allow the county to bid projects early in the season and move full-speed-ahead during the spring and summer on a full slate of road repaving

In creating the 2017 road-paving list, the county used an extensive assessment of its entire road network done in late 2015, as part of an effort to create a pavement management program for future road improvement and resurfacing projects.

Hamilton, N.J.-based consultant Michael Baker Jr. Inc's team literally drove every mile of county roads with a special vehicle to assess damage and deterioration rates. The raw data collected by this process is aiding the county in prioritizing work and determining appropriate roadway maintenance measures.

It is anticipated that a similar effort will be conducted on a regular cycle to enhance the county visual road inspections.

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