All Bridgewater Roads To Be Assessed Using New Technology

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater Township Council passed a resolution at its June 15 meeting to assess all of the township roads using "Roadbotics" technology.

The unanimously approved resolution awarded a contract to the engineering firm, Pennoni and Associates.

Work on the road assessment is set to begin this summer using the "Roadbotics" technology which will take a complete picture of roadways every 10 feet and analyze the condition of each road.

Each road will be then given a rating of condition from 1 through 5 (1 being the best and 5 the worst). The township and the vendor would then compile the data based on the rating and other objective data including proximity to a school and usage, among other criteria.

The assessment is expected to take 60 to 90 days for completion of the initial assessment.

When the road assessment is complete, the findings will be available to the public. It is expected to be completed in the fall.

"It is important that our residents have a clear picture of the status of their road and all of the roads in the Township," said Councilman Allen Kurdyla. "I believe that this study will provide the foundation to create a coherent plan for the selection of Township road projects."

This would be the first time that Bridgewater Township would be conducting a road assessment of this kind and scope. The goal is two-fold. First, giving the Administration a clear vision of future road priorities and secondly, creating clear rationale and transparency for the public of how road projects are selected to move forward.

"In all my 12 years on Council and now, as Mayor, there is one issue that I hear about everyday from our residents; the conditions of our roadways," said Mayor Matthre Moench. "When I took office, I outlined a plan to take a different, decisive approach to tackling this challenge. It starts with this universal road assessment, being done by independent professional engineers taking into account both objective criteria and input from the residents who drive these roads every day."

"In the past, I have heard many of our residents describe the selection of Township road projects as the 'road lottery'," said Councilman Timothy Ring. "The taxpayers of this community deserve to know that there is a clear and objective process for choosing these projects. This assessment is the first step in that path to transparency."

Until the assessment is complete, Moench says the township will continue to move forward on "much needed new road projects while pushing forward old projects that were funded in previous budget years but have languished. The condition of our roads should reflect the quality of our community and I will be tireless in my effort to lay an aggressive yet sustainable path forward on this issue."

This project will be inclusive of only municipally owned roadways. County, State and privately owned roads will not be included.

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