Township, district enact road maintenance program Several township areas already repaved, resurfaced BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer The recurring costs of the maintenance, repair and repaving of municipal and school district infrastructures led to the start of the township's street and lot repaving and maintenance program. "As I travel through each community [in the township] speaking with residents, the most significant and often-mentioned issue is the need to maintain and repave our neighborhood streets," said Mayor John E. McCormac. The mayor announced the township's street and lot repaving and maintenance program at the entrance to Colonia High School, which is at the intersection of Avalon Drive and Harrow Drive, on Sept. 25 along with Superintendent of Schools Vincent Smith, members of the Woodbridge Township Municipal Council, members of the Board of Education, Dennis Henry, director of the Department of Public Works, and the Public Works repaving crew. "Paving crews at the township Department of Public Works now have the equipment and training and are moving full speed ahead resurfacing and repairing neighborhood streets and parking areas at municipal facilities, libraries and school district buildings," said McCormac. In March, the Township Council approved the purchase of new and upgraded construction and paving equipment for the Department of Public Works, totaling $529,000. The new equipment allows Public Works to maintain and repair the municipal infrastructure, such as driveways, parking lots and smaller neighborhood streets, which reduces the need to pay higher subcontractor expenses. The new and upgraded construction and paving equipment includes a rubber-tracked paver valued at $270,000; a midsize, high-frequency vibratory roller valued at $33,000; a large, high-frequency vibratory roller valued at $86,000; a 540-gallon tack/tar trailer valued at $15,200; a crack-sealer trailer valued at $50,000, and a portable asphalt trenching and recycling attachment valued at $75,000. "The end result is that we now have an efficient and cost-effective repaving program that is getting the job done quickly and efficiently and is saving taxpayer dollars," said McCormac. The Public Works paving crews recently resurfaced the entrance and parking area at the Keasbey Public Works Convenience Center, the police impound yard in Sewaren, the Smeathers Street entrance to Woodbridge High School, the intersection of Henry and Holly streets in Port Reading, and the Sycamore entrance and parking area at Colonia High School. "The paving and repair program is another example of how sharing services with township government saves dollars and lessens the expense of maintaining school district infrastructure," said Smith, who added that the school district and the township administration look to share services wherever possible.