Hillsborough Working On Winter Plan For Halted Route 206 Project

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — It's been just over 4 months since the construction on the $41 million federally-funded project to widen Route 206 came to a halt in Hillsborough.

And Township officials do not have high hopes things will resume anytime soon.

"We are constantly reaching out to any person, avenue, outlet we can to try to get this road continued. Unfortunately, there has not been any movement with [New Jersey Department of Transportation] and Surety the bond company," said Hillsborough Mayor Shawn Lipani at the Sept. 26 meeting.

The $41 million federally-funded project to widen Route 206 came to a halt in May after the New Jersey Department of Transportation terminated its contract with Konkus Corporation.

Lipani said the next phase for the township is to "plan for no construction and what we are going to do with this road over the winter."

The Township will meet with NJDOT and come up with a plan on how they will handle the roadway with the upcoming freeze and thaws that come this winter.

"Please be rest assured that the road is dormant but we are still working," said Lipani.

Hillsborough Township’s Economic and Business Development Director Zuzana Karas also has spearheaded the circulation of a petition among the Hillsborough businesses that are impacted with hopes of getting NJDOT to restart the project again. Read More: Petition Pushes To Restart Route 206 Widening Project In Hillsborough

Earlier in September, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. visited the halted Route 206 widening project to speak with impacted business owners. Read More: Congressman Kean Visits 'Abandoned' Route 206 Widening Project

Kean also sent a letter to NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti urging that the department take all necessary steps to restart construction on the Route 206 Widening Project.

NJDOT also issued its own statement after Kean's visit placing blame on Surety, the bond company, for the holdup.

"It is the Surety’s obligation to complete the contract. Unfortunately, the Surety has been unresponsive to the many inquiries of the Department’s counsel since notified of the contractor’s termination," said NJDOT. "If the Surety continues to drag its feet on identifying a replacement contractor, the Department, through its counsel, will exhaust every option to restart this contract, and accelerate construction to the extent feasible." Read More: NJDOT Addresses Halted Route 206 Project Concerns In Hillsborough

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