Boro Engineer: Water Street Work to Start By End of Year

Coordinating all the elements involved in repairing and reopening in Tinton Falls, which has been closed since August, has pushed the start date for work to later this month, according to the borough's engineer.

The borough will go out to bid on Dec. 2 for the project, which will include  stabilization of an eroding stream bank, rebuilding the crumbling roadway and replacing the guardrail, according to David Marks, borough engineer.

While there hasn't been a lot of "physical activity" at the site, Marks said there has been a lot of work behind the scenes -- like testing soil for its stability, designing the project and obtaining permits from the Department of Environmental Protection -- in preparation for the actual construction. Marks, of T&M Associates, estimated the job would take three to four weeks to complete.

Contractors will bid on the finalized design and Marks said the winner would be chosen for not only coming in with the lowest bid but being able to begin the work immediately.

The plan calls for steel bulkheading to stabilize the stream bank, which suffered serious erosion during a storm in August that preceded the hurricane by a week.

The borough needed state approval due to the proximity of the work to Pine Brook, a trout-producing waterway that is also in a flood zone and wetlands.

The borough council had hoped at its Oct. 18 meeting to have work underway on Water Street by Thanksgiving.