POINT PLEASANT — A flurry of new sidewalks, courtesy of a $752,000 grant from Safe Routes to School (SRTS), are coming to the Ocean Road Elementary School area.
Currently, there are several sidewalks already in the area, most immediately around the school, located at 1210 Benedict St. However, this project aims to connect these sidewalks that are incomplete or disjointed and install several long strips so roads are safer to travel on. Most notably, sidewalks will be installed for the near entire length of Burnt Tavern Road, Old Farm Road and Catherine Street.
Additional sidewalks will also be added to Hulse Road and South Street, connecting the already existing sidewalks to each other. Plus, additional sidewalks will be installed along George Street and John Street.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) administers the Safe Routes to School program in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Authority (DVRPA) and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).
Borough Administrator Frank Pannucci said, “These organizations look to recognize the overwhelming needs of communities like ours and our desire to improve the health and safety of our children and residents of all ages who walk and bicycle in school areas.”
This year alone, the state of New Jersey received 61 applications and was only able to fund 23 of them, with one being Point Pleasant Borough.
In a press release from NJDOT, Commissioner Fran O’Connor said, “The Murphy Administration is committed to improving safety by providing resources to improve sidewalks and bike paths near schools. The Safe Routes to School program encourages children to stay active by walking and biking to school, and is a great example of how NJDOT, working with the state’s three regional planning authorities, helps utilize federal funding to support communities through local transportation projects.”
“The mayor and council had our engineer, along with representatives from the Greater Mercer Transportation Authority (GMTA), walk this area last year to assess the feasibility of this plan. Not only did everyone agree this would be a huge improvement to this area, the state did as well,” said Pannucci.
Mayor Robert Sabosik said, “Look around town and you will see the beginnings of a public safety initiative never before enacted in the history of Point Borough…We have just been awarded another grant on top of that for $752,000 to put in sidewalks in the area of Ocean Road Elementary School. We’ve already added more around Nellie Bennett and in various areas throughout town including Memorial Middle School and the high school, now we can focus on this area as well.”
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