Borough Still Waits for PSE&G to Remove Old Lights on Boulevard

Although all the work to install new brick pavers, lights and a walkway to two blocks along the Boulevard from Washington Place to Jefferson—the  first two phases of the Boulevard Streetscape Project—was completed more than a year ago, there is still one detail the borough needs PSE&G to complete before they can consider that part of the project closed.

Borough Engineer Ken Job told the mayor and council last week that PSE&G still has not removed the old “cobra” lights and poles from this area of the Boulevard, as previously promised. Job said he was told by utility officials that the October storm has delayed many of their projects such as this one.

He explained the “cobra” lights are the streetlights that extend over the roadway via a utility pole, which would also be removed. Once this final task is completed by PSE&G, the borough can consider these first two phases of the project done.

Last month the borough decided to wait until Spring to begin work to refurbish the next two streets along the Boulevard from Jefferson to Franklin up to Hamilton Avenue.

Job said the borough should learn next month whether it will receive the funding from the state Department of Transportation for the fifth phase of the project which will refurbish the area of the Boulevard from Hamilton to Walter Avenue.

This ongoing project has been funded predominantly by grants from the state DOT. The borough receives about $150,000 from the state toward each phase of the project and the borough itself adds funding for engineering and additional costs.

To date the borough has received $590,000 from the state toward four phases of the project. The borough has added an additional $160,000.