Nearly 40 Westfield Roads To Be Paved As Town Nears 20-Year Milestone

WESTFIELD, NJ — Nearly 40 roads or sections of roadway across Westfield are scheduled to be paved in the coming weeks, bringing construction activity, temporary traffic impacts and, if all goes according to plan, the completion of a townwide road improvement effort that has been underway for about 20 years.

Town officials outlined the paving schedule during the Tuesday Town Council meeting, saying crews will begin with roads near local schools before expanding to the rest of the list.

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"We have about 10 of the 40 roads on the list that basically are either adjacent to or close to schools, so they'll be first on the list to be done before school opens, and then the rest will follow," Town Administrator Jim Gildea said.

Before paving begins, crews will complete ADA-compliant curb ramp and concrete work, which Gildea said is expected to start the following week and take about two weeks. Milling and paving operations are scheduled to begin Aug. 3.

While the work is underway, residents can expect temporary lane closures, parking restrictions and traffic delays in affected areas. Gildea encouraged residents to sign up for Nixle alerts to receive updates on construction schedules and road closures.

"The contractor we've hired through the bidding process has been very helpful to us over the years," Gildea said. "Usually, weather permitting, works very quickly. So we expect to get a lot of this done well before the end of August."

Beyond the immediate construction, this year's paving schedule also represents a milestone for the township. According to officials and residents who spoke during the meeting, completing the work would mean every street in Westfield has been repaved through a long-term infrastructure program that began about two decades ago.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, longtime resident Rob Lombard, who said he has lived in Westfield for 43 years, praised the town's commitment to maintaining its road network.

"I certainly want to commend Jim Gildea and the town for the paving work that has been done in the last 20 years, and that this is essentially the last year needed to pave every street in the town, which is a remarkable achievement," Lombard said.

Lombard also said reaching that milestone could create an opportunity for the town to focus more attention on other infrastructure priorities, including stormwater management and repetitive flooding. Referring to language in the town's capital ordinance that links paving projects with stormwater improvements, he said he hopes additional funding can eventually be directed toward those needs.

"I'm also hoping that some of that money can now be made available for these other purposes," Lombard said.

If the project stays on schedule, much of the paving work is expected to be completed before the end of August, with roads near schools finished before students return for the new school year. For residents, that means several weeks of construction activity this summer, followed by smoother roads and the completion of one of Westfield's longest-running infrastructure initiatives.