After delays attributed to weather that postponed the final phase of repaving on East Grant Avenue, the project is finally set to start on Monday, April 21st and due to end by Friday, April 25th.
The project, which is the repaving of East Grant Avenue from Avon Street to Chestnut Street due to repairs that needed to be done to the underlying century-old sewer sanitation pipe system, has been years in the planning stage and finally got underway last year when funding became available. The contractor who bid and won the award is Cifelli & Son General Construction, Inc. out of Nutley, New Jersey.
The milling of the road will be done by sub-contractor Riverview Paving out of East Hanover and is estimated to take two days. The resetting of casting, including sewer manholes, is to follow on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday with the paving to be completed on Thursday and Friday.
In speaking with Cifelli & Son project manager Miguel Carreira, he stated that the determination as to which end of the project to start will be made on Monday. There will be no parking on East Grant Avenue and some sections will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week. The road will be open during the evening and early morning hours. Notices were reportedly left with home owners along East Grant Avenue.
The project has been a matter of contention with residents due to trees that were cut down along the avenue last year and the unmanageable condition of the road due to bumps, dips, patches, and potholes that have made driving on that section of East Grant Avenue what one resident called ‘a roller coaster ride’.
At the April 17th Mayor & Council meeting, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Charlene Storey mentioned that the contractor was notified about moving their subcontractor’s milling machine – which is located close to the intersection of East Grant Avenue and Chestnut Street – by the weekend so that Easter services at the Community United Methodist Church are not affected.
Along with the repaving, new sidewalk curbs are to be installed and the municipality has discussed planting new trees which are better suited for the limited spacing between the sidewalk and curb to once again beautify the road.