Safety Improvements Planned For Downtown Bound Brook

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Somerset County secured $7.7 million in federal funds to upgrade and improve intersections along highly traveled Talmage Avenue, Columbus Place, and Main Street through the full length of Bound Brook from Tea Street to the Queen’s Bridge. The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) voted to approve this project at its meeting last Tuesday, allowing the County to begin the multi-year planning and design process required by the federal government for the use of these funds.

“Downtown Bound Brook has seen fantastic growth over the past few years, and the new residential properties, retail shopping, and great restaurants naturally result in increased auto and pedestrian traffic,” said Somerset County Commissioner Sara Sooy, the County’s representative to the NJTPA. “This County road was built long ago, and the improvements we’re planning will upgrade the intersections, roadway and pedestrian facilities in line with Bound Brook’s modern downtown while increasing safety for motorists and walkers alike.”

The County completed a Road Safety Audit of this roadway with officials from the NJDOT, NJTPA and the Borough in September of 2020 which produced recommendations for the road that were the basis for this Federal Grant. Improvements such as high-visibility crosswalks, pedestrian refuge islands, pedestrian signal upgrades, sidewalk replacement, accessible curb ramps, curb extensions, and other upgrades will be considered during the design process. New traffic signals will also likely be installed at three intersections.

The project is one of 19 approved projects at the March 13 meeting of the NJTPA Board of Trustees totaling $188.3 million of Local Safety and High Risk Rural Roads programs. More information on the programs is available online at njtpa.org/LocalSafety. Project factsheets are available at njtpa.org/2022LocalSafety.

Over the past decade Somerset County has secured more than $25 million for seven communities through these NJPTA programs, and earlier this year began the construction phase on the Local Safety project on Main Street in Manville. Other funded projects have been implemented or planned for Bedminster, Bridgewater, Franklin, Green Brook, and North Plainfield.

Funding approved for the programs doubled from the previous program cycle in 2020. “The increases are the result of highly successful partnerships between the NJTPA and its member county and city governments to deliver vitally important projects on our local roads,” said Passaic County Commissioner John W. Bartlett, the current Chair of the NJTPA. “This federal support helps free up local dollars, state aid and municipal aid for other priorities.”

The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for 13 northern New Jersey counties. Under federal legislation, MPOs provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers and state agency representatives can come together and cooperatively plan to meet the region’s current and future transportation needs. It establishes the region’s eligibility to receive federal tax dollars for transportation projects.

The NJTPA Board consists of one local elected official from each of the 13 counties in the region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren), and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the President & CEO of NJ TRANSIT, the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizens’ Representative appointed by the Governor.

This press release was produced by the Somerset County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.