West Orange to Net $200K from State for Street Repair

West Orange will receive $210,000 from the state for roadwork improvements, officials with Gov. Chris Christie's office announced last week.

The cash from the Local Aid Grant will help the township make much-needed improvements along Belle Terre Road and Roosevelt Avenue.

"There's no curb on the road and no drainage," Leonard Lepore, municipal engineer for the township and director of public works told Patch. "The road is steep and water runs down the street and onto people's lawns."

He said the municipality will bundle last year's grant money with this year's to contract out the necessary work come summer.

Curbs and drainage collection facilities will be added to the two residential roads that intersect each other. The streets will also be repaved, Lepore said.

A total of 387 grants worth more than $78 million were awarded for street work and other infrastructure projects around the state, officials said in a release.

Of the more than 600 municipalities that applied for the money, only 57 percent were awarded.

"(The Administration) understands how important it is for government at all levels to provide safe streets and roads for motorists and pedestrians alike," said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson. "These grants advance local projects without placing a burden on local property taxpayers."

With more than $6.5 million in grant money distributed around Essex County, several surrounding communities also welcomed the additional dollars. 

"Now more than ever, alternate revenues other than property taxes are needed and appreciated by mayors and residents alike," said William G. Dressel Jr., executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

Officials said local governments maintain almost 30,000 miles of streets and roads, that equal about 70 percent of the statewide total.