$918K Added To Chatham Township Budget For Sidewalk Project

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Township 2023 budget has recently received a boost for road safety.

The Chatham Township Committee amended its 2023 budget on Tuesday night to include the money from the NJ Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Grant as a revenue item.

That grant was first awarded to the township several years ago, but the project has yet to be completed.

The total amount added to the amended budget on Tuesday is $918,358.53, which includes funds from a 2019 NJDOT grant for the installation of sidewalks on Shunpike Road from Lafayette to Pine Street.

The township recently held a public presentation outlining the work that will be done on Shunpike Road. According to the project proposal, the town intends to construct ADA-compliant sidewalks along Lafayette Avenue, from Shunpike to Fairview Avenue, and on the south side of Shunpike Road from Falmouth to Pine Street.

"There have been reported complaints and safety concerns with the lack of sidewalk, as students are forced to cross Shunpike Road at non-signalized intersections to access the sidewalk on the north side of the road," the township said.

The township received $374,000 from the Safe Routes to School Grant in 2017, and the town anticipated that the sidewalk project would begin in 2018. However, the township is now planning to solicit bids for the project this summer.

According to officials, future construction will not affect access to homes on Shunpike Road because the plan is to keep all current driveway access and the existing roadway.

Construction work will be done during the day, one block at a time, east to west, according to the presentation. All roadways are also expected to remain open, with no road detours planned at this time.