The Plainsboro Township Committee has approved the necessary lease agreements with the state that pave the way for the drainage improvements and reconstruction of Mapleton Road.
The lease agreement with the state was introduced at the committee’s August 11 meeting. A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, August 25.
“This is a project we have been working on with the county for some time,” said Township Administrator Robert Sheehan. The project entails “extensive draining improvements and road construction on Mapleton Road on Seminary Drive down to the D&R Canal,” said Sheehan. The project will also include re-striping and signage.
“It’s a challenge because it’s an environmentally-sensitive area, and there were multiple state agencies with which we needed to get approvals, which is why it’s taken longer than we’d hoped,” Sheehan added.
As part of a deal with the county, which is paying for the entire project, the township agreed to take jurisdiction of the road under the condition that it was repaired before the township took it over, Sheehan explained.
But in order to take jurisdiction, the township needed to enter into leases with the state for rights to some areas that impact the canal area, and that is what the ordinance covers.
The matter was already reviewed by the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission, which had to review the plans because the road and the project improvements fell within 100 feet of the Delaware & Raritan Canal.
As for a timeline, Sheehan said officials are getting close to the end of the design, and are hoping that the township will be able to bid the project in the next couple of months.
The road has been known for its drainage problems, and the project has been highly anticipated. “When we do have heavy rains, the first road we have to close is Mapleton because of the canal area there,” said Sheehan. “The improvements will minimize that occurrence, and we will also fix the road because it has not been fixed for some time.”
