Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman was joined by NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin to announce today that the Borough of Carteret has been awarded a $4 million grant from the Department of Transportation. The funds were awarded by the NJ DOT for the purposes of improving the Peter J. Sica Memorial Highway, a heavily-travelled truck route that connects the NJ Turnpike to Carteret’s Industrial hub.
“We continuously work to improve the Borough’s infrastructure and improve road conditions for all travelling throughout Carteret” said Mayor Reiman. “With the continuous truck traffic on this major highway, it’s important to not only maintain, but to improve road conditions.”
Carteret’s Peter J. Sica Industrial Highway and Middlesex Avenue comprise a strategic, dedicated truck route running through the eastern portion of the Borough, which supports commerce and jobs, and provides a direct connection to NJ Turnpike Exit 12. The route conveys freight traffic between Carteret’s 7,200,000+ square feet of warehouse, manufacturing facilities, distribution centers and the National Truck Network. Traffic counts conducted on this highway identified an average daily traffic of 15,104 vehicles, 44% of which were commercial vehicles 5 tons or larger.
“New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country which means our roadways are constantly the subject of extreme wear and tear, particularly when industrial traffic is a constant,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “Grants like the one awarded to Carteret by the New Jersey DOT help ensure that roads in Carteret are safe, well maintained and able to adequately support both car and truck traffic.”
With the grant money, Carteret will reconstruct and resurface parts of Peter J. Sica Memorial Industrial Highway, from the intersection of the NJ Turnpike & Drift Way, to the municipal boundary with Woodbridge Township. The total length of the project is approximately 2.63 miles. Approximately 75,000 square yards of roadway will be resurfaced with additional base pavement repairs carried out where necessary.
“Obviously, we are thrilled to announce this much needed and well deserved grant award, and we look forward to beginning the improvements in the Fall of this year,” said Mayor Reiman. “We appreciate Governor Murphy’s support for these improvements and the funds provided for Carteret in the Governor’s NJ DOT budget.”
Existing curbs will be removed and replaced where necessary along Industrial Highway and Middlesex Avenue where necessary to correct poor drainage and ponding water along the gutterlines. Along Industrial Highway, extensive drainage improvements will be undertaken between Bristol Station and Roosevelt Avenue to replace corroded metal storm sewer piping with reinforced concrete pipes and to enhance the existing roadway underdrain system in this area.
Some existing curb ramps will be upgraded to meet standards set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Areas of Middlesex Avenue will be striped to include 12′ wide travel lanes and 8′ wide shoulders. A traffic signal is also proposed for the intersection of Industrial Highway and the future extension of Carteret Avenue, creating a four-way intersection including the Borough’s Waterfront Park Access Road. The improvements to the roadway will improve the safety of vehicles through the local roadway system.
“By proactively helping local governments succeed in spending the additional transportation dollars afforded them we ensure the entire transportation network provides the mobility necessary for efficient and effective function,” said NJ DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.
The award was part of the NJ DOT Local Freight Impact Fund (LFIF) Grant Program. The program is established for the purpose of assisting counties and local municipalities with the mitigation of impacts on the local transportation system associated with the State’s freight industry. $30 million is available through the competitive program each year and Carteret was awarded over 13% of those funds, out o hundreds of applicants state-wide each year.
For additional information on all improvements made possible by the grant, please contact CME Associates at 732-462-7400.
