Mayor’s Message: Road Improvements and ‘Register Ready’

Washington Township Road Improvements

One of the concerns that became evident to me when speaking to residents of the

community (even before being elected as Mayor) was the need to keep our Township

infrastructure at the forefront.  Through these past few years, it has been an active and

concerted effort to make consistent improvements on a routine basis when needed and

before the cost became overbearing.  By now you should have seen the activity in

making improvements throughout our public facilities, parks and roadways, while

keeping municipal taxes in check.

In Washington Township we have nearly 190 centerline miles of local roadways.  One of

our key and consistent efforts has been the Road Management Program.  This program

helps address the much needed repairs while also being proactive to address

improvements before they become more costly.  In 2017, the local roadways that had

not been improved over the prior ten years, were reviewed and rated by our Department

of Public Works and our Township engineer.  Based on the rating, traffic counts,

geography, cost, and cost prevention considerations, the roads were assessed and

placed into an annual schedule.  A separate group of roadways was identified as ideal

grant candidates for pursuit.  

Our goal is to improve between 4-5% of our roadways annually so that every road will

be touched within a 20-25 year cycle.  The scheduled improvements are re-evaluated

for conditions annually as well as roadways of concern that may have degraded faster. 

In addition, where the market has been more competitive, we try to accelerate

roadways, yet stay within our budgeted dollars for improvements.

We have also been successful each year in receiving NJ Department of Transportation

Grant funding as well as Community Development Block Grant funding.  Between the

years of 2017 through 2020 we have been awarded $940,000 in NJDOT Municipal Aid

grants allowing us to make roadway improvements along Stagecoach Road, Mount

Pleasant Road, Hurffville Road and Bells Lake Road, which in turn has allowed the

Township to save the taxpayers from funding these projects.  Seeking NJDOT grant

funds for our connector roads allows for municipal budget dollars to be dedicated to our

development roads.  Additionally, in 2017 through 2020 we have also been awarded

nearly $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding allowing us to again

make roadway improvements on Congress Drive, Cape Cod Drive and improvements

on White Birch Drive (yet to come). 

We have received many compliments from residents and are excited about the success

of the program.   I am committed to continuing to strategize ways to improve our

Township infrastructure and amenities while still considering taxpayer burdens.

 

Register Today— Be Ready for Tomorrow

Washington Township residents, I would like to make you aware of the NJ Office of

Emergency Management Special Needs registry for disasters. “Register Ready” allows

New Jersey residents with disabilities or access and functional needs and their families,

friends, caregivers and associates an opportunity to provide information to emergency

response agencies so emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a

disaster or other emergency situations. The information collected here is confidential

and will not be available to the public. The information will be held securely and only

used for emergency response and planning. Once you are registered you will be notified

by local officials when an evacuation has been ordered. It is free to register.

Register at https://www13.state.nj.us/SpecialNeeds/Registration or call 211 (toll free)

and an operator will assist you with more information.

 

THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MONDAY THROUGH

THURSDAY FROM 8AM TO 5PM. THERE IS A DROPBOX IN THE PARKING LOT

OF THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING FOR THOSE WHO WOULD PREFER TO AVOID

DIRECT CONTACT.

 

THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING WILL BE CLOSED, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th, 2020

IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY.

 

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEAR A MASK AND MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE IN

ORDER TO AVOID THE SPREAD OF COVID-19.

 

Joann Gattinelli is the Mayor of Washington Township. She can be reached at

MayorGattinelli@twp.washington.nj.us.

 

 

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