Main St. Projects Underway in Belmar

Anyone taking a trip down Main Street in Belmar can see the downtown area has been undergoing a bit of a facelift of late. 

Sidewalks are getting dug up, new traffic lights are being installed and this week the bridge to Avon has been shut down during the overnight hours. 

But according to Mayor Matt Doherty, the downtown strip is going to be much easier on the eyes sooner rather than later. 

All but one of the four new traffic lights with countdown signals for pedestrians have been installed where Main Street intersects with Ninth, Tenth and 16th Avenues, Doherty said.

And the final light, at 12th Avenue, should be up and running by the end of next week, he said. 

The torn-up sidewalks between Eighth Avenue and 16th Avenue -- the portin of Main Street owned by the borough -- may take a bit longer to restored, however, but once they're finished, they'll be up to ADA standards, Doherty said. 

That project should begin the week of May 21 and be completed in three weeks, Doherty said. 

As for the sidewalks between the Avon bridge and Eighth Avenue -- the state Department of Transportation-owned portion of Main Street (or Route 71) -- they're currently being smoothed over by DOT crews, Doherty said. 

The project, which began April 30, will see the replacement of the damaged sidewalks along the town's main avenue and the installation of new curb cuts at Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Doherty said. 

The DOT work is expected to be complete by May 18, Doherty said. Crews, however, will not work on weekends or Memorial Day, he added. 

Milling and paving of that portion of the road is expected to begin once the sidewalks and curb cuts are done, which officials hope can be completed by June 15, Doherty said. 

In addition to the DOT's work on Main Street, they'll also be installing new traffic lights (with the same countdown timers for pedestrians downtown) along Route 35, Doherty said.

The new timers will be placed on the traffic lights along the state highway at L Street, Route 71, and Tenth and Eighth Avenues, hopefully by Memorial Day, Doherty said.