ENGINEERING DIVISION MONTHLY REPORT
JUNE 2024

​Charles Carbone, P.E., Supervising Engineering Aide

 

BURNT MEADOW ROAD

A site meeting was attended with Passaic County Engineering Department officials as a result of a County-owned pipe culvert restoration / replacement project on Burnt Meadow Road.  The portion of roadway requiring the work required minor maintenance work in order to access the site and was coordinated with the Department of Public Works.  Construction is anticipated to begin in July.

CARTERET STREET

A residential concern regarding a minor settlement was evaluated by the Department of Public Works and Engineering Division.  As part of the restoration work, a portion of concrete curb was slated for replacement and included in the concrete curb replacement project (anticipated July/August).

ELIAS LANE

A residential concern regarding site work was inspected and the Zoning Officer and Planning Consultant were contacted regarding the work as a result of Board of Adjustment provisions as part of the approval.  The matter was ongoing in order to determine what improvements were permitted.

LOT DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW

Three (3) initial, single-family, residential lot development plans were reviewed for compliance with Section 110-4 of the Township Code and any applicable Board resolutions.  No as-built / final plans were 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 $360,000 allotment request to partially fund a potential road improvement project for Warwick Turnpike – Section 11, between Lake Shore Drive (South) and Passaic County Structure #448 (0.6 miles).  The project proposes shoulder restoration, resurfacing and stormwater compliance provisions.  The Governing Body approved a resolution for application submission and the application was submitted prior to the grant application deadline.

NJDOT MUNICIPAL AID FY2025

West Milford qualifies for the submission of two New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Municipal Aid grant applications as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 grant application cycle.  This year’s applications for Municipal Aid include submissions for Lincoln Avenue and Longhouse Drive.  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.

TOWNSHIP ANNEX PROJECT / RIDGE ROAD BUILDING

Correspondence, meetings and project specific items were discussed with Township officials, the contractor and the design architect in order to move the project forward.  Other maintenance items were highlighted and discussed with Township officials for future repair.  A change order resolution was approved by the Governing Body for changes to the project as a result of conditions discovered during the renovation work.

VREELAND ROAD

A residential concern regarding site work was inspected and the results were provided to the Zoning Officer and Township Administrator.

WARWICK TURNPIKE

Orange & Rockland Utility intends to begin a storm hardening project along Warwick Turnpike and White Road in the area from White Road to near Lake Shore Drive (South).  The work intends to provide underground conduit along the edge of the road in an effort to reduce outages as a result of impacts along that line of overhead utilities.  The utility company previously anticipated beginning the project in 2023 but environmental permitting delayed the project until the near future.  Meetings with the utility were attended and schedule updates were requested to notify the public.

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, regarding lot development plans, storm drainage issues, active construction projects, flood zones, right-of-way issues, etc. were provided to concerned residents on 48 occasions.  Field inspections, photographs, reports and/or follow up were required for 11 of these issues.
  • Technical assistance was provided, for various issues, to other departments on 46 occasions.
  • File research, map copies and/or information was provided to professionals on 10 occasions.
  • Assistance was provided to builders, contractors and utilities on 6 occasions.
  • 1 Right of Way Entry Permit Applications was received, processed, and returned to the Clerk’s office.
  • Properties were reviewed regarding a residential inquiry of Township owned lot(s).
  • Engineering Division observation reports, travel logs and other supplemental reporting information was provided to Administration, as required.
  • A Safety Committee meeting was attended.
  • Engineering staff continued Paving Inspector Certification courses as time permitted.
  • 6 OPRA requests were responded to.
  • 4 weekly reports for Administration were prepared.
  • A zoom meeting was attended for the Passaic County Road Resurfacing  Program. Echo Lake Road from the Route 23 ramp to Blakely Lane and from the Watershed Property to Macopin Road will be milled and paved as part of the Resurfacing Program.
  • A pre-construction site meeting was attended with Orange and Rockland Utility Company for their storm hardening along the western side of Warwick Turnpike and a portion of the eastern side of White Road.
  • Properties were reviewed regarding potential sale of Township property for the Township owned lot(s).

 

CAPITAL PROJECTS

 

CLINTON ROAD – SECTION 5

Plan design continued, when time allowed, for the project utilizing notes, files and recorded past information and recorded from a walk-through inspection performed in April on Clinton Road, between Passaic County culvert #177 and Stephens Road, as part of the design process for this NJDOT FY2023 Municipal Aid grant resurfacing project. Existing conditions were documented and potential future work was recorded for design of the project.  The construction plans are under design.  This resurfacing project is partially funded by a $462,340 State Aid roadway grant.

2024 TOWNSHIP CRACK SEAL PROGRAM

As part of the 2024 Township Crack Seal Program, Township-owned roads throughout the municipality were reviewed and inspected for a potential crack seal program.  A construction contract, by resolution, was awarded through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council based on the designed program.  The Contractor was contacted regarding potential availability to begin the program and provided the road program list.  Studies show that sealing pavement cracks can extend the life of the surface course pavement by as much as five years.

MAPLE ROAD

A drainage improvement project began at the end of the month for icing concerns at one location.  The in-house project is anticipated to be completed in early July.  A second larger in-house drainage improvement project is anticipated to begin in July or August depending upon material availability.  Resurfacing plan design continued for the project utilizing notes, files and recorded past information and recorded from a walk-through inspection performed in April.  Existing conditions were documented and potential future work was recorded for design of the project.  This resurfacing project is partially funded by a $477,040 State Aid roadway grant.

ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – HANOVER, ALPINE, ET AL

The Governing Body previously approved, by resolution, a contract award for the final design and contract document completion to the consulting Township Engineer for the Hanover, Alpine, Princeton, Lyons and Beverly Road Improvement Project as per their provided proposal.  Follow-up discussions were held with the design engineers and inquiring residents regarding the project.  A field meeting was attended along with follow up phone calls regarding the ongoing design.  Revisions are still underway for the project and once complete another review will be performed.  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.  Field work was completed through the winter of 2022-2023 and design began as time permitted in 2023.  A preliminary/conceptual design, as originally proposed during its initial evaluation, was provided to the consulting Township Engineer in September of 2023 for review.  The review yielded potential environmental concerns and as a result was discussed and further reviewed through November of 2023.

STOWAWAY ROAD BRIDGE – SUPERSTRUCTURE REPLACEMENT

As part of the ongoing project to assist the Stowaway Park association by way of an assessment project, the superstructure was replaced by the Contractor and the final punch list items were reviewed.  The final paving was inspected and the guide rail installation was completed.  All the invoices for the project were totaled and will be provided to the tax assessor and CFO for the proposed assessment to the benefitting property owners.  As part of an assessment project, the work performed on this non-Township road will be paid back by the benefitting property owners to the Township as part of the assessment procedures.

2023 TOWNSHIP ROAD RESURFACING – PHASE 2

As part of the 2023 Township Road Resurfacing – Phase 2 project, the plan design process continued for Appletree Lane and Lake Shore Drive (between Fanwood Court and Longhouse Drive, approximately 1.2 miles).  As part of the design, maintenance repair items and other minor improvements will be provided to the DPW completion prior to resurfacing.

2024 TOWNSHIP GUIDE RAIL PROGRAM

As part of the 2024 Township Guide Rail Program, sites throughout the Township requiring replacement guide rail were evaluated.   A construction contract, by resolution, was awarded through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council based upon the areas of potential need were evaluated after if funds allow.  The guide rail program intends to replaced failed or damaged guide rail and provide guide rail at warranted locations if funding allows.  This year’s program intends to utilize former funding vehicles and recent allocations in order to provide a more robust program.

2024 TOWNSHIP ROAD RESURFACING PROGRAM

As part of preparatory work for the resurfacing program, a construction contract was awarded by resolution through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council for a portion of roads containing curb scheduled to be resurfaced.  The primary function of curb is drainage, but dilapidated and heaved curb no longer at a point of useful life is reviewed and documented for potential replacement.  As part of the 2024 Township Road Resurfacing Program – Phase 1 project, a construction contract was awarded by resolution through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council.  The local roads intended to be resurfaced include: Cleveland Drive, Deborah Lane, Grant Avenue, Green Terrace Way (portion), Hiawatha Pass, Hunter Boulevard, Inez Court, Lancaster Lane, Lozier Court, McKinley Place (at Cleveland Drive), Mohawk Trail (portion), Moore Road, Ponderosa Place, Pontiac Court and Walker Avenue.  Additional roads are considered based upon estimated construction costs and available funding remaining.  Field work is anticipated to be completed on the roads to determine the resurfacing improvements required.  Road maintenance work for various roads has been ongoing and will continue on roads by the Department of Public Works.  Preliminary material quantities were provided to the DPW to identify needs.  The program is bifurcated between local roads utilizing cooperative purchasing programs and mains roads utilizing public bid procedures.

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

Site work for the construction of the intersection improvements at the Union Valley Road, Greenwood Lake Turnpike, Lakeside Road and Stainsby Road intersection began on May 13th and continued through the end of June.  Work included curb and sidewalk construction along with other incidental items for the future traffic signals.  In-house inspections were performed for the consultant-designed plans throughout construction, at a nearly full-time basis, in order to coordinate the items with the contractor and design engineer. Material availability will dictate when the signals can be installed and the lights energized to complete the project, which preliminarily is estimated for September / October.  The project intends to make intersection improvements at the subject intersection, including a proposed traffic signal.