Mayor David Del Vecchio described the section of the highway that will be upgraded as “next to the mountain, south of town”
By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — More than $2 million in federal stimulus money is going to be spent in Lambertville and West Amwell Township for improvements to Route 29.
Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio described the section of the highway that will be upgraded as “next to the mountain, south of town.”
The work is needed, he said, because “that part ices up and is dangerous. The number of people that travel from our area to Trenton is significant. There is no drainage. It ices up, and there is no shoulder.”
The project will include drainage work as well as pavement resurfacing, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The federal stimulus money allows the DOT to remedy the longstanding problems, according to the mayor.
”It’s a nice project,” he said. “It’s one of those projects that was on everybody’s list, but we had trouble finding the money for it.”
Mayor Del Vecchio said he expects the work to proceed in the summer or early fall with the work taking place at night with one lane open to traffic.
”So it won’t mess up traffic too badly, and it will improve the safety of the road,” he said.
Mayor Del Vecchio credited Hunterdon County Freeholder Mathew Holt with helping to secure the funding for the Route 29 project.
The $2.2 million project is part of the $894 million New Jersey will obtain from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for critical highway and transit projects statewide, Gov. Jon Corzine announced March 6.
”The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will enable New Jersey to accelerate long-needed infrastructure projects, providing jobs for thousands of residents and improving commerce, safety and quality of life,” Gov. Corzine said. “Through the flow of funds to projects that can start in a matter of weeks, the federal stimulus package will reinvigorate New Jersey’s economy and mitigate the impacts of the national recession.”
According to a statement released by the governor’s office, the ARRA will stimulate New Jersey’s economy by creating or supporting thousands of transportation-related jobs and making long-term improvements to roads, bridges and the transit system.
The state’s transportation allocation includes $652 million for highways and bridges, approximately $162 million for county and local transportation priorities and approximately $19.5 million for transportation enhancement projects.

