PETERSBURG — Upper Township Committee has received a $925,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to Schools Program.
According to Township Administrator Gary DeMarzo, the grant, which was submitted in November, will be used to create significant safety enhancements for those traveling to and from the district’s schools.
DeMarzo said the work will consist of sidewalk and bike lane improvements around the elementary and primary schools. The funding was awarded July 10 and the township will be reimbursed for the grant award amount.
“The next steps for the township will be budgeting for the project, preparing the project design and sending out for bids,” DeMarzo said.
According to a conceptual map, the township proposes adding sidewalks along North Shore Road from Seaview Avenue to between Holly Berry Lane and St. Georges Place, as well as along North Old Tuckahoe Road from North Shore Road to the school complex at St. Andrews Place.
Crosswalk improvements and curb ramps are proposed for Lenape Lane, Teal Lane, Redwish Avenue, Old Tuckahoe Road, St. Georges Place and St. Andrews Place.
In addition, an on-street bike lane is proposed the length of North Shore Road from the school complex to Beesley’s Point Park along Great Egg Harbor Bay, where it connects with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority path along the Garden State Parkway bridge to Somers Point.
This year, according to DeMarzo, the DOT received 61 applications totaling more than $58 million. The DOT was able to fund 23 projects and Upper’s amount was one of the larger awards.
Township Committee put the professionals to work on a constant search for grant possibilities that would benefit the township, DeMarzo said, noting this grant was identified in October 2023 by CME Engineers.
“A grant of this size and scope takes a team to design, submit and manage,” DeMarzo said. “The team includes CME Engineers, Triad Associates, Upper Township Public Schools and the township administrator.”
“We always try to be ahead of the curve and this grant award put us at the top,” Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes said. “We had no idea that the state would crush our school system with reduced funding in May but we knew that this particular program was a one-of-a-kind opportunity for our children, students and neighborhoods.”
Committeeman Mark Pancoast said the township must comply with a slew of state rules to use the funding and is committed to doing so.
“We have $925,000 reasons to do so,” he said.
– STORY by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
– GRAPHIC by SAM HUTCHINS/Sentinel staff
