Relief could be coming for drivers and residents who’ve lived with an unfinished highway widening project on Route 206 in Central Jersey for a year after state Department of Transportation officials said a new contractor could be on the job soon to finish the work.
Work on a $41 million widening project to add two new lanes and rebuild intersections on Route 206 in Hillsborough that has been dormant for a year could resume shortly, said Acting Transportation Commissioner Francis K. O’Connor during Monday’s Assembly transportation budget hearing.
The hold up in completing the job is because for the first time in decades, the DOT terminated the contractor on the project and is relying on a company that holds the surety bond to supply a contractor to finish the work.
“We’re hoping optimistically within a month or two for the surety getting a replacement contractor,” O’Connor told Rep. Roy Frieman, D-Somerset, who questioned him when work would resume.
The project has been dormant since the DOT terminated contractor Konkus Corporation because of safety concerns to drivers and workers at the construction site, state Department of Transportation officials said last year.
Meanwhile Hillsborough officials, businesses and residents are caught in the middle.
Hillsborough has a new mayor, Robert Britting Jr., who said he ran to get the work resumed and end the frustration for residents, businesses, and drivers.
“I am incredibly happy to hear that our concerns are being heard,” he said Tuesday. “This problem has persisted since midway into last year and we are finally getting the attention that is deserved.”
A year later and Route 206 between Doctor’s Way and Valley Road is lined with two dirt lanes between the highway’s existing lanes, and resident and business driveways. Jughandles at reconstructed intersections are incomplete, in addition to a bridge replacement and pipes for storm drains litter the side of the highway.
A sea of orange barrels are regular sights. Besides the unsightly look of the half-completed project, Hillsborough officials had complaints about flooding, a road collapse and homeowners and customers of businesses in the work zoning running through a gauntlet of patched asphalt and dirt paths to get in and out of driveways.
Since taking office in January, Britting brought a list of the more pressing issues to the DOT, which has done triage work to ease the impact on drivers and residents on some of the more pressing problems with the unfinished project.
“NJDOT has been in communication with the town and has completed a number items on an interim basis,” said Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesperson.
The work includes paving and regrading the Valley Road and Route 206 intersection, removing several steel plates from the highway travel lanes, fixing a sinkhole, installing drains to eliminate standing water, rehabilitating driveways, repaving the right turn lane lane from Falcon Road to Route 206 north and other work, he said.
“We’ve been working with Hillsborough trying to do other stuff in the interim,” O’Conner said. “But hopeful we’ll have a replacement contractor.”
Britting said it’s been frustrating for him to watch the main road that goes through the center of town look completely rundown and unsafe.
“I started the year off by challenging the state NJDOT to fix the major safety issues that our engineering department found to be major issues,” he said. “Soon after, they came through and fixed what I asked them to fix.”
There are still issues remaining, including a lack of sidewalks in some places and businesses with entrance and exit issues also are being affected, he said.
“I have had multiple conversations with business owners who have told me they have lost customers and incurred additional expenses due to how the area was left when the project stopped,” Britting said. “At the Township level, we have offered our support to local businesses and residents.”
However there are now lines of communication between the DOT, the township and governor’s office, he said.
“Our local government administration, residents and local businesses have been directly and negatively impacted by this situation for way too long,” Britting said. “The time is now to act and get this project, not only moving, but completed as soon as possible. I’m thankful progress is on the horizon.”
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry.
