Chatham Township Awarded $375K Grant For Pedestrian Safety Work

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Township has been awarded $375K in state funds from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) as part of the Local Aid Infrastructure Fund.

The Chatham Township Pedestrian Safety and ADA Improvement Project aims to improve pedestrian safety by upgrading existing crosswalks. The grant will allow the township to continue work on the remaining crosswalks that are not already funded as part of a larger project.

"Safety and accessibility remain top priorities for Chatham Township. This Project demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring that our streets and sidewalks are safe and accessible for everyone," Mayor Ashley Felice said.

The grant money was approved for 13 crosswalks on Fairmount Avenue between Runnymede Road and Nicholson Drive.

Additionally, two crosswalk upgrades are planned for the intersection of Mountainview Road and Meyersville Road, as well as two more for crossing River Road—one at each intersection with Henry Drive and Mountainside Drive.

Fairmount Avenue, Meyersville Road, and River Road are major thoroughfares in the township and see heavy traffic.

The project's main efforts include upgrading the crosswalk curb ramps to meet ADA standards, installing detectable warning surfaces, associated turning space, restriping of crosswalks, installing new concrete curbs, and restoring surrounding road, sidewalk and lawn areas.

"We are targeting completion of this project before Chatham Schools re-open in September. I commend our staff on their efforts to seek out grant funds to offset the rising costs of infrastructure improvements and minimizing the burden on taxpayers," Felice said.

Last year, township officials also announced that new safety improvements to a section of Shunpike Road will be added soon to help all Chatham Township school-aged children safely walk from the Lafayette and Washington Avenue Elementary schools.

That project is being funded by the New Jersey Safe Routes to School program, a federally funded reimbursement program that aims to enable and encourage children to walk and bike to school.

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

The anticipated project timeline calls for construction likely to begin during the summer when school is not in session.