Plainsboro received notice last month that it will receive a $185,”000 grant from the state Department of Transportation for construction of a pedestrian path linking Plainsboro Road to Scudders Mill Road around the Municipal Complex to Dey Road.
Mayor Peter Cantu mentioned the grant — under the state’s Safe Streets to Transit program — briefly during his annual report at the Township Committee’s reorganization meeting. The idea behind the program is to link areas in municipalities to transit opportunities. Township officials say that in this case, the project will provide a safe walking path from the residential areas accessed by Plainsboro Road around the Municipal Complex property to Scudders Mill Road and the transit stops located at the intersection with Schalks Crossing Road.
The township submitted one of the 46 applications around the state, which requested $9.5 million in total, although only $2 million was available. The NJDOT pared down the list to 15 select applications to award the grant funding, with the Plainsboro project making the final cut.
“We are extremely pleased to have been selected to receive $185,”000 from the NJDOT,” said Cantu. “Municipalities are facing difficult economic conditions, so every dollar we can get from grant sources keeps projects moving forward without using precious local resources.”
The project includes the upgrading and construction of the eight-foot wide pedestrian-bicycle path on the municipal complex site and along Scudders Mill and Plainsboro roads that would interconnect the municipal complex with the 600 bus route. The project is identified in the township’s state Plan Endorsement as a priority project.
