By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — Sidewalk improvements will continue on Broadway as long as the state continues to fund the work.
The city’s sidewalk improvements started over six years ago beginning on upper Broadway and moving east. In those six years a visible improvement has been made to the sidewalks, with two-tone brick paver inlays and upgraded curbing that now reaches City Hall.
According to City Administrator Howard H. Woolley Jr., Long Branch has continually received funding of approximately $200,000 each year for the project. This year the city is seeking $238,357, the estimated cost to continue the project from City Hall.
The grants for replacing sidewalks and curbs come from the N.J. Transportation Trust Fund Authority Act. The city is not required to contribute matching funds or pay back the money it receives through the grant program because of its status as an urban community.
Last year’s project, which was completed in the spring, replaced a culvert in front of City Hall as well as utility pipes in that section of the city.
Woolley said he expected the city would receive its next grant sometime in the fall. The money will be included in next year’s budget to continue the project from City Hall as far east as possible, he said.
The city also has been successful in receiving Community Development Block Grants and funding through its Urban Enterprise Zone designation to pay for similar infrastructure improvements.
According to Jacob L. Jones, director of community and economic development, recent improvements to various sections of the city totaled $700,000. Those improvements, such as paving, curbing, sidewalk repair, installation of lighting and pedestrian walkways, can be seen in municipal-owned parking lots and the city’s business district.
Near Hoffman Funeral Home, pavers were installed from Dudley Street to the railroad tracks, matching the existing pavers on the south side of Broadway. That project cost $6,500.
More improvements also are slated for downtown to repair damage from last winter’s heavy snow.
Jones said curbing had been damaged by the severe weather, pavers need to be finished, tree wells dug, and lampposts, broken cement and concrete items replaced. He said an assessment is still needed to determine the exact cost; however, upwards of $100,000 has already been set aside for the improvements.