By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City officials are urging motorists to be patient during a series of road, gas and sewer projects that will turn some streets around town into construction zones.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio gave a sneak peek of things to come when he noted during City Council’s meeting on Sept. 22 that a half dozen projects will get underway this fall and “many more” are in the planning and design stage.
While some of the work involves road reconstruction, utility contractors are also tearing up the streets for improvements to the sewer system as well as the natural gas mains and infrastructure.
In a report during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Business Administrator George Savastano acknowledged that motorists may not like that there is so much construction going on at the same time.
“The mayor and I have been talking. I know there have been a lot of concerns about road work going on in town,” Savastano told the Council members.
He explained that much of the work involves safety improvements being made to the natural gas lines that are buried underneath the streets.
“In any event, they’re doing a lot of street tear-ups,” Savastano said of the gas work. “I want to assure everybody that all of those streets are going to be restored. Many of those streets will be restored with full-width paving when they’re done. But we ask everyone to be patient. When it’s all said and done before next summer, we’ll get everything restored.”
Councilman Jack Gibson suggested to Savastano that the city should also look into having the streets elevated when possible instead of simply repaving them after the construction work is completed. Sea Isle has been elevating streets throughout town to help ease flooding on the low-lying barrier island.
Savastano told Gibson that the city will consider the possibility of elevating the roads “where we can accomplish that.”
Meanwhile, the city’s website at http://www.sea-isle-city.nj.us/ gives an update on a series of projects that are already underway or about to get started in November. They include:
Paving on Pleasure Avenue: The city has awarded a $643,700 contract for the paving of Pleasure Avenue from 53rd Street to 73rd Street. Workers are currently in the 62nd-63rd Street area, moving north while making curb improvements, replacing damaged driveway aprons and building ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps. There will be street closures and detours as the work continues.
Asbestos Cement Sanitary Sewer Replacement: The city has awarded a $1.1 million contract for sewer replacement on Central Avenue from 31st Street to 36th Street and Landis Avenue to Central Avenue on 32nd Street, 33rd Street and 34th Street. The contractor has begun work on Central Avenue in the vicinity of 36th Street. Road closures and detours are expected.
Roadway Reconstruction: The city has awarded a $557,140 contract for the reconstruction of a number of streets where utility work was previously done. They include 82nd Street between Landis and Central avenues, 48th Street between Landis and Central, 57th Street between Landis and Central, 58th Street from Landis Avenue to the beach end, and 74th Street between Landis and Central. The contractor expects to begin work in November.
Storm Sewer Reconstruction: The city has awarded a $251,000 contract for the reconstruction of storm sewers on Pleasure Avenue from JFK Boulevard to 34th Street. The contractor anticipates construction will begin in November. There will be road closures and detours during the project.
