CARTERET—Mayor Daniel J. Reiman and Councilwoman Iris Colon, chair of Public Works, have announced that approximately $910,000 has been earmarked for local road improvements. The funds will be provided through the town’s capital fund, which is also comprised of monies awarded by Middlesex County and the state.
Five local streets have been selected according to need, and will receive structural upgrades, and in some cases, new ADA accessibility, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.
Damaged thoroughfares that are also some of the town’s most traveled roadways were target areas in the selection process. Among the streets to be resurfaced are Carteret Avenue, Sharot Street, Willow Street, and Charlotte Street.
As a part of the administration’s ongoing Road Improvement Program, the street repaving has typically exceeded routine maintenance. The scope of this and recent years’ upgrades have represented the largest road improvement project undertaken in Carteret. Many of the borough’s streets have been resurfaced through an inter-local paving program with Middlesex County, in which the Middlesex County Public Works Department has milled, repaired and resurfaced the top two inches of roadway, at a fraction of the cost a private contractor would have charged. These projects are expected to add roughly ten years to their lifespan.
Reiman said, “This program represents the single largest paving project ever established in Carteret; and has tapped into the combined resources of every level of government to allow for an enormous capital infrastructure project, with the level of efficiency found in the private sector. The wear and tear of our roads has risen in proportion to the kind of growth we have seen in our commercial districts. We are grateful to those at the county and state level who have enabled us to make these necessary repairs and upgrades”
The County Overlay Program will include pavement milling, base repairs, and overlay of each street. Included in this year’s program are:
- Sharot Street (Lafayette Street to dead end)
- Willow Street (Marion Street to Hagaman Street)
- Carteret Avenue (Pierce Street to Varga Drive).
The estimated construction cost for this portion of the project is $490,000.00.
The Street Reconstruction Program will include reconstruction of designated roadways, replacement of existing curbs with new concrete curbs and gutters, replacement of deteriorated sidewalks, upgrades for all handicap ramps, and inlet repairs. The following roads are included in this portion of the project:
- Willow Street (Leber Avenue to Coolidge Avenue)
- Charlotte Street (Sunset Court to Longview Terrace)
The total estimated construction cost for this portion of the project is $420,000.
“Both residents and businesses depend on our infrastructure,” Colon added. “While we have impressive projects like the overhauling of Turnpike Interchange 12 underway, we know how important our residential streets are, and how much they are used. We are particularly grateful for the shared service assistance provided by the county and the D.O.T.”
