Sidewalk Improvement Grant Being Sought By Point Boro Officials

POINT PLEASANT, NJ – Continuing in its efforts to make the borough of Point Pleasant safer for kids to walk or ride their bikes to school, borough officials recently announced that they have applied for a 2021 Safe Routes To School grant.

The grant, which is funded by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration(NTSA) and administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), has a goal to promote walking or riding their bikes to school through various infrastructure improvements, enforcement, tools, safety education.

“Mayor Sabosik and the Council care deeply for Point Pleasant. The last year made us put the breaks on a lot of things, but this Administration is making up for lost time, “Borough Administrator Frank Panucci said in a statement.

“Sidewalks, roads, parks, water & sewer infrastructure...there are a lot of items we’re putting plans together for to improve Point Boro, both above ground and underground.”

The borough has made sidewalk improvements in the past couple of years around the High School and Nellie Bennett Elementary but they are turning their attention to the area around Ocean Road Elementary School.

The borough’s plan calls for sidewalks on Johnson Avenue from Route 88 to Burnt Tavern Road, Burnt Tavern Road from Johnson Avenue to Old Farm Road, Old Farm Road from Burnt Tavern Road to Bay Avenue, Benedict Street, and William Street from Catherine Street to Old Farm Road.

“These are big neighborhood streets in that area of town that would benefit tremendously from sidewalks,” Councilman Bill Borowsky, who sits on the council’s Public Works Committee, said in a statement.

Besides the grant project, the borough is also working on other infrastructure projects.

“We are putting plans together in addition to the grant proposal to put sidewalks starting from Route 88 down Herbertsville Road to Maxson Avenue, then from that corner all the way down Maxson to Riverfront Park. This is a heavily trafficked area where lots of children and adults alike walk and we want to make it safer,” Councilman Joe Furmato said in a statement.

“Plus, it not only ties into the overall theme of making it safer for people walking towards Ocean Road Elementary School but also makes it safer for those walking towards our river beaches and Riverfront Park.”