By: David Campbell
A Princeton Township official says the end is in sight for construction on Moore Street, which has been under way since last fall.
All driveway aprons have been installed and the laying of the top coat of roadway pavement, the last step in what has proved to be an epic roadway repair, is expected to take place by the end of next week, Princeton Township Engineer Robert Kiser said Wednesday.
Mr. Kiser said Moore Street improvements took longer than anticipated due to complications coordinating the many utility upgrades associated with the project.
"It’s been a very long project with a lot of utility work," he explained.
Work began last fall with sanitary sewer replacements and realignments. A new gas main was installed and water main repairs were made, in addition to a new storm-sewer system, new curbs and sidewalks and an entirely new roadway.
John Hildemann of Intercounty Paving Associates LLC, the Hackettstown-based contractor hired by the township, said he was contracted to finish the job by July 28, pointing out that it was concieved as a lengthy project from the very beginning.
Mr. Hildemann attributed the two-month delay to conflicts with public utilities, which he said unlike the contractor are not bound to contractual deadlines.
Mr. Kiser has said the township had planned to begin the work on Moore Street between Jefferson Road and the Princeton Borough line just north of Franklin Avenue for about three years, but it was postponed for capital improvements such as the repaving of Jefferson Road.
Neighbors have complained of long stretches of days during which no work occurred.
Mr. Kiser said what some neighbors may have seen as lags in work were due to sanitary sewer work that occurred sometimes at night and underground during the day, which postponed construction until each component of the work could be finished.
"There was a lot more work required for the sanitary sewer system than anticipated," he said. "The good news is things are moving ahead, and we’re looking to have pavement completed by the end of next week."
For residents, the prolonged project has meant having to cope with driving on a torn-up street for a year, living amid construction machinery, supplies and debris and the constant presence of dust in and around their residences.
One Moore Street resident has compared driving on Moore Street to riding the deserts of Israel in an army jeep, with the rough Israeli terrain proving the smoother ride.
But Mr. Kiser and neighbors have agreed that a series of informational meetings held by the township before work started helped prepare residents, and Mr. Kiser has commended residents for their patience throughout the project.
