UNION, NJ ― Work to improve the sidewalks and streets along a portion of Stuyvesant Avenue is slated to begin in May, completing the remainder of a streetscape project that began in 2016.
Phase II of the streetscape project will include new bump-outs, lighting, granite accents, tree pits and engraved corner designs. The stretch to be improved runs along Stuyvesant Avenue between Morris and Elmwood avenues.
Underground utility lines were inspected and improved upon as necessary last year along Stuyvesant Avenue, township spokeswoman Natalie Pineiro said in an April 19 email.
The first phase was completed last fall between Vauxhall Road and Morris Avenue, and included a raised mid-block pedestrian crossing and seating. Both parts of the project will have uniform features, Pineiro said.
The engineering company that did the first phase of the project, Maser Consulting and Arterial Design Studio, will also take on the second phase, and S. Batata Construction will be doing the construction, Pineiro said.
The overall cost of the project is $2.2 million, LocalSource previously reported.
The streetscape project is included in the 2018 Road Program, which has three phases that include milling, paving, curbing and adding wheelchair ramps to dozens of roads in the township, Pineiro said.
The streetscape project “will take place in addition to all phases of the 2018 regular road program, but the streetscape is, in and of itself, a separate program focused on completing the transformation of Union Center,” Pineiro said.
The overall road program includes 20 streets and an additional 64 roads uprooted by utility work will also be serviced. Repairing the roads has been a priority for Mayor Suzette Cavadas.
“One of the most important duties carried out by the Department of Public Works is ensuring the safety and quality of our roads,” Cavadas said in a statement.
The road program will be funded by the capital improvement spending from the town, with a county infrastructure grant and a Community Development Block Grant.
The county also is expected to work on Stuyvesant Avenue from Vauxhall Road to the border of Irvington. The state, meanwhile, is slated to work on Morris Avenue from the Springfield line to Caldwell Avenue, and also along Morris Avenue between Lehigh and North avenues. The following roads will be repaved as part of the 2018 road program:
Phase I:
• Berkshire Drive
• Carlsen Drive
• Pilgrim Way
• Union Avenue
• Victor Avenue
Phase II:
• Andrew Street North
• Bushnell Street
• Concord Avenue
• Concord Place
• Crane Place
• Delaware Avenue
• Howard Street
Phase III:
• Erhardt Street, from Vauxhall Road to Sayre Road South
• Harmony Road
• Lancaster Road
• Patton Avenue
• Reeves Terrace
• Shearer Avenue
• Susan Place
• Woodmont Road
• Stuyvesant Avenue, from Morris Avenue to Elmwood Avenue