ENGINEERING DIVISION MONTHLY REPORT
JUNE 2023

Charles Carbone, P.E., Supervising Engineering Aide

 

BRADRICK LANE STREAM CLEANING

A meeting was held with the consultant Township Engineer to overview the Bradrick Lane drainage easement.  Historical information, regarding the creation of the easement and the prior existing conditions, was requested in order to provide a potential analysis and study of the area.  Available Engineering Division records were reviewed for the subdivision and archived files are anticipated to be obtained in July.

BURNT MEADOW ROAD

Full-time inspection was provided for the final restoration work required as part of a utility extension.  Final restoration included milling and paving of the disturbed road lane and top soil & seed for disturbed property as needed.  Resident concerns were reviewed and evaluated and contact made to the utility company if required.

bus shelter – union valley road

As part of the continuation of an older project, the replacement of a former bus shelter on Union Valley Road near Dunkin’ and Lakeland Bank was revitalized.  New Jersey Transit, Passaic County and the impacted private property owner were contacted regarding the last known status for the project.  The former shelter was damaged in a vehicle accident but a portion of the concrete pad for the shelter remains with a bench as an active bus stop.

ECHO LAKE PARK

A historical review of the genesis of Echo Lake Park – Recreation Facility on Germantown Road was performed.  As part of land exchanges in the 1980’s, the park resides on a portion of land utilizing a former lease agreement.  Other land exchanges were completed at the time in order to facilitate an agreement for land usage.  The results of the review were provided to the Administrator.

greenwood lake turnpike bridge #1600-513 (MONKSVILLE)

Passaic County has been performing field work and design to replace the bridge deck (surface) of the Greenwood Lake Turnpike Bridge #1600-513 over Monksville Reservoir and requested a meeting with impacted municipalities for input and review of logistics of construction.  The project is tentatively scheduled to begin during the 2024 construction season though it is currently under final design and NJDEP review.  Environmental impacts and design constraints will dictate the construction schedule.  The work is preliminarily anticipated to take six months, weather permitting.  The Passaic County Engineering Department will provide updates to impacted municipalities as the project progresses.

lake shore drive

As part of a request from Administration, a traffic analysis and sign review was performed at the Lake Shore Drive and Riverside Road intersection.  Past records were reviewed and an updated Sign Authorization inspection was completed.  The Police Department was consulted regarding vehicle traffic concerns and a traffic speed study was initiated by the Police Department.  Once the results of the speed study are received an updated report will be created.

LOT DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW

Six (6) initial, single-family, residential lot development plans were reviewed for compliance with Section 110-4 of the Township Code and any applicable Board resolutions.  One (1) as-built / final plan was reviewed, inspected and processed as needed.  All lot development plan review results are entered into the “Spatial Data Logic” system.  The results are also posted for public consumption within the Engineering Division section of the Township’s website (www.westmilford.org) under the Site Plan Tracker.

NJDOT LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FUND

A grant application was prepared and submitted for this NJDOT grant opportunity to make application for a $668,000 allotment request to partially fund a potential road improvement project for Westbrook Road – Section 4, between Ridge Road and the Westbrook Teen Center.  The project proposes modest widening and comprehensive striping to promote an extension of the existing bikeway in West Milford.  The Governing Body approved a resolution for application submission and the application was submitted prior to the June 1st deadline.

NJDOT MUNICIPAL AID FY2024

West Milford qualifies for the submission of two New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Municipal Aid grant applications as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 grant application cycle.  This year’s applications for Municipal Aid include submissions for Longhouse Drive and Clinton Road – Section 6 between Stephens Road and the Wildcat Preserve.  The Governing Body approved, by resolutions, the submission of the grant applications by the July 1st deadline.  Applicants submit grants through the System for Administering Grants Electronically (S.A.G.E.) and upload resolutions electronically up to thirty days after application submission to the Project Management and Reporting System (P.M.R.S.).  The status of the grant applications is typically not known until the fall / winter.

ROUTE 23 bridge OVER PEQUANNOCK RIVER

The NJDOT is designing a bridge replacement project for the New Jersey State Bridge on Route 23 over the Pequannock River in the area between Reservoir Road and Canistear Road.  A “Local Officials Briefing” meeting was attended to discuss the potential impacts of the bridge and scheduling of the project.  The State intends to only replace the northbound bridge at this time.  The project is heavily impacted by environmental constraints regarding scheduling, though a tentative start date is anticipated for spring of 2024 with construction completed towards the end of 2025.  A preconstruction meeting is anticipated in early 2024 once the project is awarded a construction contract.

SCHOFIELD ROAD

Technical assistance was provided to the Department of Public Works (“DPW”) for the installation of a new stormwater sedimentation basin as part of a retrofit to an existing stormwater drainage system near Post Brook Lake.  The retrofitted, custom concrete structure intends to capture material and debris influenced by gravity prior to traveling further down the drainage system.  The structure will be maintained and cleaned by the DPW as needed.

STORMWATER REGULATIONS & COMPLIANCE

The Governing Body awarded, by resolution, a professional services agreement to Stormwater Compliance Solutions, LLC in order to begin a phased approach towards the Township’s compliance with the enhanced NJDEP stormwater regulations.  The New Jersey Highlands Council was contacted regarding a potential opportunity to request funds in order to comply with the enhanced regulations.  The Governing Body approved, by resolution, a formal funding request of $85,250 to the NJ Highlands Council in order for the Township to continue the phased approach to maintain compliance of the regulations.  The NJ Highlands Council anticipates making a determination during their July meeting.

STOWAWAY ROAD BRIDGE

The receipt of bids for the Stowaway Road Superstructure Replacement Project was scheduled for June 30th.  One bid was received and a bid tabulation will be provided for the Township Attorney for review.  The Administrator and Tax Assessor will be consulted regarding the project as it will be an assessment project fully funded by the impacted residents.

TOWNSHIP ANNEX PROJECT / RIDGE ROAD BUILDING

A change order resolution was prepared and provided for Governing Body consideration for required work as a result of the fire alarm system in the building.  The Contractor was contacted regarding outstanding concerns and issues and the design architect was consulted as needed for the project.  A separate contract for camera security and building access was reviewed and a resolution was considered and approved by the Governing Body for the expenditure of funds to allow a contract for electronic building access only at this time.  A meeting was attended with Township staff to discuss the project and identify other outstanding items as part of the building renovation work.  The renovation project intends to convert the former Library building to municipal office space.

WALLISCH ESTATES

Technical assistance was provided to the Department of Public Works for the relocation of a wooden platform at the Wallisch Estates intended for future recreational events.  Grading elevations and material estimates were provided along with alignment of the proposed excavation site.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Technical assistance, regarding lot development plans, storm drainage issues, active construction projects, flood zones, right-of-way issues, etc. were provided to concerned residents on 47 occasions.  Field inspections, photographs, reports and/or follow up were required for 5 of these issues.
  • Technical assistance was provided, for various issues, to other departments on 72 occasions.
  • File research, map copies and/or information was provided to professionals on 8 occasions.
  • Assistance was provided to builders, contractors and utilities on 7 occasions.
  • 1 OPRA request was responded to.
  • One Administrator meeting was attended.
  • Assistance was provided to the Zoning Office on two occasions requiring additional field inspection.
  • Soil Conservation District was contacted regarding soil grading activities for 4 new projects and two ongoing projects.
  • Conversations led to a brief review of Township property history.
  • Rain inspections were performed during heavy rain events at various locations to record and identify potential improvements, if any.
  • A field meeting requested by a utility company was attended to discuss potential project requirements.
  • 1 Planning Board application was reviewed.
  • 6 Board of Adjustment applications were reviewed.
  • 1 Safety Committee meeting was attended.
  • A webinar “Office Safety Refresher” was attended.
  • A webinar “Confined Space Awareness” was attended.
  • A webinar “Street Smart Street Safe” was attended.
  • A webinar “Engineering Ethics” was attended.
  • A webinar “Cannabis in the Workplace” was attended.
  • 1 Site Plan as built was reviewed for Planning Board resolution compliance.

 

CAPITAL PROJECTS

 

2023 township crack seal program

As part of municipal road maintenance, roads were evaluated and a crack seal program designed for the 2023 construction season.  The Governing Body approved, by resolution, a construction contract through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council for the sealing of approximately 119,000 linear feet of roadway cracks.  The program proposes to address road cracking on 4.72 miles of municipal roads.  Since instituting the program in 2002, the surface pavement cracks have been sealed on more than 71.6 miles of Township roads.  Studies show that sealing pavement cracks can extend the surface life of the surface course pavement by as much as five years.

GERMANTOWN ROAD – SECTION 1

A walk-through inspection was performed on Germantown Road, between Macopin Road and 0.8-miles south, as part of the design process for this NJDOT FY2022 Municipal Aid grant resurfacing project.  Existing conditions were documented and potential future work was recorded for design of the project (estimated in June).  This resurfacing project is partially funded by a $332,000 State Aid roadway grant.

ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – HANOVER, ALPINE, ET AL

The Hanover, Alpine, Princeton, Lyons and Beverly Road Improvement Project design continued.  A small portion of the project documents remain for completion prior to submission to the Township Engineer for review.  The proposed project intends to improve, through special assessment charged to the potentially benefiting property owners, Hanover Road, Alpine Court, Princeton Road (portion), Lyons Road (portion), and Beverly Court.  These dirt/gravel roads were accepted by ordinance in the summer of 2019.  A special assessment ordinance was approved by the Governing Body in April 2022 at a Town Council meeting to award the funding for this project.

2023 TOWNSHIP ROAD RESURFACING

Concrete curb intended to be replaced as part of roads included in the 2023 Township Road Resurfacing program were reviewed and evaluated.  The primary function of road curbing is to attenuate drainage towards stormwater drainage infrastructure.  Concrete curb that is no longer viable was quantified and estimated as part of a resolution for Governing Body consideration as a construction contract through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council.  Notifications to property owners will be provided once a tentative start date is received from the contractor.  Preliminary field work, including preconstruction photographs and inspections during inclement weather, continued for the proposed roads included in the 2023 resurfacing program.  Design field work will begin as the schedule allows to begin operations to identify required preparatory work and similar prior to scheduling resurfacing. The Department of Public Works was provided the list of roads previously in order to begin maintenance of the roadways when weather and time allows.

UNION VALLEY ROAD, GREENWOOD LAKE TURNPIKE, LAKESIDE ROAD, & STAINSBY ROAD – TRAFFIC SIGNAL

As part of the ongoing work to move forward with the proposed traffic signal project at the Union Valley Road, Greenwood Lake Turnpike, Lakeside Road and Stainsby Road intersection, a meeting was held with the consultant traffic engineer to review concerns of the preliminary design and ongoing concerns regarding the property boundaries and limits of the project.  A legal opinion was requested and provided by the Township Attorney in regards to the extent of the property boundaries.  The consultant traffic engineer intends to continue the design based upon the Township Attorney’s response.