E.B. secures $475,000 for Harts Lane project
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK — Township officials have successfully lobbied the state for money to repair Harts Lane.

During its June 8 meeting, the Township Council introduced an ordinance authorizing the township to spend up to $500,000 for the reconstruction of Harts Lane. Mayor David Stahl told the Sentinel the bulk of that money, $475,000, is coming from a state grant.

Harts Lane will receive milling and repaving that Stahl said, "has been needed for years.

"I was glad to get this approved by the state," he said. "Our engineering department has talked about how important it is."

The ordinance will appropriate $500,000 for the work, including the issuance of $400,000 in bonds, to be reimbursed by the state grant.

Stahl said part of the pitch he made to the state was to explain how the economy has impacted East Brunswick, and that as an alternate to Route 18, Harts Lane is used by many school buses going to schools such as East Brunswick High School and Churchill Junior High School. The road runs north and south between Milltown Road and Tices Lane, parallel to Route 18. Stahl said he spoke to officials at the state Department of Transportation, as well as state Sen. Barbara Buono for help in securing the grant.

"I was able to convince [the state] this was a worthwhile project," he said.

The township's engineering department wants the town to go out to bid soon on the project and have the work performed over the summer so it will be open to school traffic in the fall, Stahl said.

"So we approved the funding mechanism to get the bid [specs] out in a timely manner," he said.

The project will largely be done at night to limit the inconvenience to the bulk of drivers who use the road.

Stahl noted that the township will not necessarily use all of the $500,000 that is being authorized, as he said several recent projects have had bids come in under what was budgeted.