Money from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and the New Jersey Department of Transportation will pay for most of the work.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE The City Council recently awarded almost $300,000 in work contracts for the reconstruction of Ferry Street.
The work will be divided into two parts.
The work on section one, the western side of Ferry Street, will extend from the Delaware and Raritan Canal to Union Street. The work on section two, the eastern side, will extend from Union Street to Main Street.
Work on the western side of the street is being funded by a grant from the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. The western section will be the most challenging because it is so steep, Mayor David Del Vecchio said.
Work on the eastern side is being paid for primarily by a grant from the DOT with the remainder coming from city funds.
A schedule has not been set yet for the work to proceed.
"If all goes well, we’ll probably get started later this year," Public Works Director Paul Cronce said.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s ongoing reconstruction of Main Street likely will not interfere with the city’s Ferry Street reconstruction, according to Mr. Cronce.
The contracts were awarded to the lowest bidders during a regular meeting of the council July 16.
Cross Road Construction Corp. of Newark was awarded a $148,804 contract for section one.
Cross Road’s bid beat out three others. Those were from Al Neto Contractors Inc., of Bridgewater, for $165,027; Jonico Inc., of Lambertville, for $171,533; and Marvec Construction Corp., of Verona, for $178,895.
R&B Builders Inc. of South River was awarded a $134,062.50 contract for section two.
R&B Builders’ bid was lower than five others. These were Cross Road Construction Corp., $156,413; Al Neto Contractors Inc., $171,796.50; Marvec, $181,560; Jonico, $213,350; and JPZ Construction Co. Inc., of Trenton, $220,585.
Despite awarding the work to the lowest bidders, Lambertville still will pay more for the work than originally estimated by the city’s engineer. The difference can be attributed, in part, to the market and the cost of materials, according to City Clerk Lori Buckelew.
The engineer estimated a cost of $103,352 for section one and a cost of $113,500 for section two.
The city met with residents about four months ago to discuss the reconstruction, according to Mayor Del Vecchio.
The Public Works Department will meet with the contractors tomorrow (July 27) in a pre-construction meeting at City Hall to discuss how the work will proceed. Whether there will be street closures or detours will be decided then, Mr. Cronce said.

