Helmetta gets $168K for Maple St. project

BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

HELMETTA — The borough will receive a grant from the state Department of Transportation for long-awaited road work on Maple Street.

Mayor Nancy Martin said the $168,000 grant will pay for road reconstruction and curbing.

Maple Street, which runs through the snuff mill property, is a residential road with approximately 30 townhouses and 15 homes. It is also a connector road between Helmetta Boulevard and Main Street.

“It is a truck route, unfortunately,” Martin said. “Main and Maple [streets] are all there are for trucks, so they get a lot of wear and tear on that road.”

The borough routinely applies for grants, and is awarded them when DOT funds are available, Martin said.

“We apply for grants road by road every two years,” Martin said.

Maple Street will be reconstructed in the area of Lake Avenue, Erickson Avenue and Club Drive. The section of the road that is within the snuff mill redevelopment zone will be completed by Kaplan Cos., redeveloper of the mill property.

Borough Engineer Terry Vogt said the plan for the project will not be ready until the spring, so it cannot be known exactly how much it will cost. However, the borough typically does not spend beyond the limits of the grant, he said.

“It depends upon the project. The borough, along with most municipalities, has limited funds it can spend on construction, typically,” Vogt said. “Unless there is an urgent need, it is not unusual for municipalities to wait on grant moneys these days.”

The work will include paving, and new or reconstructed curbing in sections that are deteriorating or without curbing. Ramps for people with handicaps will also be put in to make the area more pedestrian accessible.

The contractor will have to maintain accessibility for traffic during construction, Vogt said.

The mayor and council will authorize the design, Martin said, and the work will likely begin in the spring and last for a couple of months.

She said the borough often receives grant money from the DOT for these projects.

“The DOT has been pretty good about it every other year,” Martin said. “We got something last year. We are grateful to New Jersey DOT for the funding.”