Monroe Ave. Paving to Begin This Summer

A contract has been awarded to perform milling and paving work on heavily traveled Monroe Avenue.

Township Committee has chosen D & L Paving of Nutley to perform the work, which will be paid for with state grant funds.

D&L Paving was the lowest responsible bidder among seven firms vying for the job, estimating that the face-lift will cost $91,299.13. The other six bids received ranged from a low of $99,649 to an estimate of $115,099.85 to complete work on certain sections of the roadway. Boswell Engineering, the township's consulting engineers, recommended the contract be awarded to D&L, and the governing body agreed with a unanimous vote earlier this week.

The milling and paving will not cost the township any money. Rather, it will be paid for with a $130,000 Department of Transportation grant that the township won in the fall, out of a statewide pool of $104 million that was doled out to municipalities across New Jersey.

Work is expected to start this summer, DPW manager Scott Fisher has said. Administrator Robert Shannon said today that the township wants to minimize the inconvenience the work could cause motorists, especially those dropping off kids at Washington Elementary School, just around the block on Woodland Avenue. Additionally, the township will take Wyckoff Recreation's summer day camp into account, which runs several week-long sessions from June 28 to July 30 at nearby Memorial Field. 

Shannon expects to attend a pre-construction meeting in the coming week, which will help determine when work can begin.

Although Monroe Avenue has been treated in recent years, any motorist can notice sections of roadway that are cracked and in disrepair. Fisher has said his department has had to patch sections of the oft-used cut-through to Wyckoff Avenue, but the milling and paving is necessary over the long-term.

While the DOT grant authorized Wyckoff to spend up to $130,000 on the work, the township will not be able to carry money over from the $91,299.13 job. Instead, the grant will pay for D&L's work as well as Boswell's inspection reports. However, the low bid gives the township "flexibility if there are any unforeseen circumstances" when work begins, Shannon said.

The township will let affected residents know of the paving work start date via its website, www.wyckoff-nj.com/. Residents also can choose to receive e-mail updates from the township by registering with the site at www.wyckoff-nj.com/siteregistration.html.