NJ DOT grant absorbed part of recent gasoline tax; money goes to specific road projects
It seems the word “road” cannot be uttered in a governmental meeting without a conversation concerning funds ensuing immediately after. At the recent July Gloucester Township Council meeting, dollar signs were discussed, along with paving and speed limits.
In recent weeks, the council altered several speed limits in the township. The speed limit on Salina Road was changed to 35 mph in June. As previously reported, this effects an intersection with a private lane approximately 3,000 feet west of Woodbury-Turnersville Road. The speed limit will remain 45 mph from the intersection to Blackwood-Mt. Pleasant Road.
Signs will be erected in the coming weeks.
The speed limit on a portion of Evesham Road was changed as of Monday, July 9. The ordinance states that when children are present, a speed limit of 25 mph applies along Evesham Road in front of St. Theresa’s Regional.
The topic of roads in the township continued after the passing of the ordinances.
Resident David Brown said to council, “We are putting Band-Aids on stuff.”
Brown was referencing what he feels to be a lack of a long-term road maintenance in the township.
Brown stated it was nearly four years ago that the street he resides on in the township was micro-surfaced.
Micro-surfacing is the practice of applying a thin layer of asphalt emulsion to a stretch of pavement to extend the road’s longevity — it is not known to be a long-term solution.
In response, the council told Brown that a complete reconstruction of one mile of road can cost upward of $1 million.
“You spend a million dollars on your road and a million dollars on every other road … nobody would be able to live here,” Councilman Dan Hutchison said.
In reference to Brown’s comments, resident Ray Polidoro asked council whether townships receive a trickle-down effect from the 23-cent-per-gallon tax hike the state imposed in recent years.
“Not that long ago the state upped the gas price by 23 cents by taxing gasoline. I know it is a state benefit, but does any of that meant for road improvements trickle down to municipalities to where the township would be entitled?” he asked.
In response, Anthony Chadwell, an engineer present on the council, said, “NJ DOT puts out an annual grant to municipalities called Municipal Aid. A piece of that tax went to that. Unfortunately, a lot of that went up north because that’s where the politics are. … It wasn’t as great of an increase as we thought it was going to be.”
The 2018 NJ DOT grant awarded the township with $226,595; however, the money was awarded specifically for the resurfacing of Stone Bridge Drive and Peter Cheeseman Road.
Moving away from the dollars, an ordinance passed concerning the soon-to-be Royal Farms at 1409 Blackwood-Clementon Road. The new ordinance prohibits the parking of cars, buses, trailers and recreational vehicles more than that three tons between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., except when authorized by the property owners in the lot.
About the progress of Royal Farms, Gloucester Township Council President Orlando Mercado told the residents in attendance, “I do not have a timeline, but it is moving faster than it was before.”
Plans to build a Royal Farms on Blackwood-Clementon Road surfaced several months ago after the Maryland-based convenience store built its first South Jersey location on the corner of Evesham Road and White Horse Pike in Magnolia in 2017.
In other news:
The council passed a resolution designating a portion of the township as “The Gloucester Township Arts District.”
The resolution reads, in part, “an Arts District within the Township of Gloucester will enhance economic vitality, community life and a participation in the arts and humanities through cultural experiences unique to the Township of Gloucester.”
The area between East Lake Avenue and Prospect Avenue along Black Horse Pike is the designated area.
“The designation of having an arts district in downtown Blackwood would allow our municipality to seek out grants through different arts organizations throughout the state,” Mercado said.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Polidoro said, “I like the idea a lot. Are you also looking for a private investment to build this up?”
Mercado replied, “I think anything is open and on the table.”
