FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Joseph M. DiBella, Mayor

1-732-938-4500

March 26, 2006

Road Improvements

Over the past several months, the number of emails and phone calls I have received regarding the condition of our roadways has increased considerably. All over the township, people are concerned about the deteriorated condition of out roads. Based on the calls I have received, some residents have told me that their particular streets have not been paved or sealed in more than 25 years.

For many years road repairs were sporadic and the township had no plan for a community wide maintenance plan. As a result our roadways are now in terrible condition and some are in need of a total overhaul. Part of the problem we now face is that years of work now need to be done in a short period. Plus, roads that could have been routinely maintained are now in very bad condition and will cost twice as much to rehabilitate.

Two years ago the Council and I started an ambitious campaign to dramatically improve the condition of our roads. To date we have set aside nearly $3 million in the municipal budget for whole sale road improvements. We also developed a road maintenance plan whereby we now have a report that identifies the condition of every road in town on a best to worst condition basis. With this report, we can fairly and equitably address all roads.

While we have paved large areas of the community, with so many roads to repair all this recent work and money will have a minimal impact on the more than 150 miles of road the township is responsible for. In fact, the nearly $3 million we have set aside will buy us a little more than 16 miles of road due to increased labor costs and the rising price of the raw materials needed to fix asphalt.  At this rate, it will take decades to repair our roads. I believe that we can no longer wait and that we need to take more immediate and significant action now.

As a result, I would like to recommend that we place a special referendum on the ballot this November asking the residents to vote on whether we should spend the money necessary to fix every road in the township. While we do not have exact figures at this time, if you the residents believe this is a worthwhile matter, we can calculate the costs and have a special vote this fall. By handling this matter all at once, we should benefit from the economies of scale and we can also ensure that we take care of the entire community all at once rather than a more costly band-aid approach. While such a project would take a while to complete, we could at least get most of the community paved and corrected within one to two years.

Plus, by having this matter voted on by our residents, we can ensure that you the people that we work for get to choose. The expenditure will likely be very significant. However, poor road conditions have a costly impact on us all. They deteriorate the value of our neighborhoods. They are unsightly, unsafe and cause expensive damage to our cars. Rather than continue to deal with this issue in small steps, I feel a more immediate plan is necessary based on the conditions we now face today.

Please tell me how you feel about this important issue. Please email me at MayorDiBella@twp.howell.nj.us and let me know of you feel we should move to fix all our roads at once with a special ballot question. I’ll share the results of your feedback shortly.

Thank you for your input in this important matter. May God Bless our Troops, May God Bless America and May God Bless Howell Township.

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