MANSFIELD: Plans to repave Mansfield Road West stall

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   MANSFIELD — The New Jersey Turnpike Authority and Mansfield Township are in the middle of slowly-moving negotiations to repave Mansfield Road West from Old York Road to Route 206 due to damage to the road caused by the Turnpike expansion project.
   ”I’ve been in contact with the Turnpike for the last month,” said Len Faiola, township engineer, at the township meeting Sept. 26.
   But no progress in the negotiations has occurred in the past four months.
   The township has been trying to get in touch with the NJTP since June, which is when it made a verbal agreement to repave Mansfield Road West.
   When the NJTP and Mansfield Township engineers did meet in June, an agreement was made the NJTP would repave Mansfield Road West from Old York Road to Route 206, but Mr. Faiola said the NJTP now is planning to pave only from Old York Road to just past the Turnpike.
   ”I told them I was not in agreement with that, but we will bring that to the committee tonight,” Mr. Faiola said at the Mansfield Township Committee meeting Sept. 26.
   The NJTP agreed to repair any damage to the access to the road, said Tim Staszewski, also an engineer for Mansfield, but he said Turnpike officials “don’t agree on the limits of that repair.”
   He said the damage to Mansfield Road West was caused by construction vehicles traveling over the road to get to the construction site of the new overpass bridge.
   ”Our agreement was a verbal agreement,” Mr. Staszewski said. “Obviously, it’s not binding so we’re just trying to work with them. We were told those repairs would be done by August.”
   He added, “We’re looking to have our road repaved, and we thought we had an agreement. I think both parties are willing to discuss the scope of work that needs to be addressed.”
   As of Tuesday, the township hadn’t heard back from the NJTP on a date for another meeting.
   The township’s intent still is to have NJTP repave Mansfield Road West from Old York Road to Route 206, but “at this point, we’re just trying to have this meeting with them,” Mr. Staszewski said Tuesday.