Township will enter Phase One of Route 130 corridor beautification project, giving people a "first-class impression of East Windsor" according to the mayor.
By: Lauren Burgoon
EAST WINDSOR Flowers soon will be in bloom along Route 130 as part of a township beautification project officials hope will begin this year.
Phase One of the township Route 130 corridor beautification project will target buffer strips between the road and properties along the north and south sides of Route 130 from Old Cranbury Road to Hickory Corner Road.
Mayor Janice Mironov said the area was chosen because it would have a greater impact on visitors to East Windsor given the retail property in the designated area.
"The goal that we put before us was to enhance the attractiveness of parts of the town, especially in the primary retail areas. It will be a very important part of people having a first-class impression of East Windsor," Mayor Mironov said at the Township Committee meeting Jan. 29.
Various plantings have been considered to adorn the buffer strips, including perennial flowers and hedges. A final decision on exactly what to plant will come after the township’s landscaper makes a proposal about viable shrubbery. In a later interview Mayor Mironov said the proposed plantings will provide an attractive view to everyone traveling on Route 130.
Money for the beautification will come from a $55,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation and an East Windsor tree account. The mayor said the township account was created from contributions from developers. There is about $20,000 in the account currently, she said.
"This is only the kickoff to the project. We will build upon this," Mayor Mironov said. Other targeted areas include the median strip and ground at major intersections. Later phases of the project will address these sections.
As far as a specific time frame, the mayor said specific details have yet to be determined.
Some members of the committee noted that the ground at the base of the welcome signs at the ends of Route 130 in East Windsor also would benefit from a makeover. Deputy Mayor Walter Daniels Jr. suggested the township look into having landscaping donated as a gift. Later, Mayor Mironov said she approached the group that donated the signs for just that reason.
The mayor added that an additional improvement project along Route 130 is in the design stage.
"The township is working with the Department of Transportation on a Route 130 Corridor Study to make the road more user friendly," she said. "It’s an important goal."
One of the aims of the project is to complete sections of sidewalk along Route 130, an objective that the mayor called "very important to this administration." She said she hopes the town will receive state support to fund the project.