By Christina Whittington, Special Writer
CHESTERFIELD — At the June 28 Township Committee meeting, Township Engineer Christopher Trebisky detailed the construction project that has Ward Avenue closed since Monday.
As a result of the Turnpike widening project, workers are constructing a new overpass for Ward Avenue. While bridge construction is close to completion, new paving and the demolition of the existing bridge still needs to be completed.
According to Mr. Trebisky, the original Turnpike contract contained a provision that would have allowed for Ward Avenue to be open during construction, utilizing temporary construction measures and traffic protection.
However, both contractors, Wydham Construction and South State Inc., approached Chesterfield Township officials, asking for permission to close Ward Avenue during the school summer break.
”The contractor is requesting the road be closed to ease in the final phase of construction,” Mr. Trebisky said last week.
In return for the township agreeing to the road closure, the contractors have agreed to extend the paving farther along Ward Avenue, which the township had plans for paving a large portion of at the end of the year.
The contractors also have agreed to pave the parking lot of the Community Association, located at the end of Ward Avenue. Initially, the township had been seeking grants to pave the small parking lot.
A detour plan submitted by the contractor to Mr. Trebisky’s office and the Chesterfield Police Department was approved. Traffic is being detoured to Hogback, Bordentown-Crosswicks and Bordentown-Chesterfield roads.
”While closing a road will always have an impact on local traffic, we felt our return for closing the road justified the closing of the road,” Mr. Trebisky said.
The project has a scheduled completion date of Sept. 1.

