By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The post-Labor Day slowdown at the shore means lighter traffic on the roads in Sea Isle City.
But local motorists will start to encounter something else that may test their patience and driving skills – detours and road construction projects.
Sea Isle traditionally does road reconstruction and utility projects during the quiet off-season months to avoid traffic disruptions during the busy summer tourism season.
Altogether, millions of dollars in projects are planned for the fall, winter and spring, meaning that a lot of streets will be torn up for new water mains, sewer systems and paving.
It began Monday when police issued a traffic advisory telling motorists to avoid Landis Avenue between 42nd Street and 50th Street for road construction. Detours are scheduled through Thursday on that downtown stretch of Landis Avenue, the advisory said.
As it has done in the past, the city will sequence the road projects in a way that should minimize delays or disruptions to traffic, City Business Administrator George Savastano said in an earlier interview.
Savastano estimated that the total cost of all of the projects would be in the neighborhood of $4 million to $5 million. Sea Isle will use a combination of city, county and state funding to pay for construction.
After the streets are ripped up for water main or sewer system installation, they will be restored with new paving.
Road construction is traditionally done in the fall, winter and spring months in Sea Isle to avoid disruptions during the summer tourism season.
As part of the road construction program, City Council awarded a $215,636 contract during its Sept. 12 meeting for the repaving of 46th Place.
“This is one of a number of road and utility construction projects we’ll be advancing this fall through next spring to improve our roadways,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio told Council.
Following is the city’s schedule for upcoming projects:
Fall 2023:
- Sanitary sewer replacement on 40th Street from Landis to Central avenues.
- Water distribution system replacement on Central from 40th to West Jersey Avenue.
- Repaving of Central from 56th to 69th streets.
- Repaving of 46th Place.
- Sanitary sewer replacement on Cini Avenue from 36th to 38th streets.
Spring 2024:
- Repaving of Central from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to 36th Street.
- Repaving of 40th Street between Landis and Central avenues.
- Repaving of 59th Street from Sounds Avenue to Central.
Fall 2024:
- Repaving of Cini Avenue from JFK Boulevard to 36th Street.
Central Avenue will be repaved from 56th Street to 69th Street this fall.
