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
