With Less Grant Money, Kings Road Plan Scaled Back

The Council decided Monday to "scale back" the original plan for improvements along Kings Road due to financial constraints.

The borough , but Engineer Vincent J. DeNave said it "is not enough to do the entire project."

Two other grant applications, which would have included milling and paving and pedestrian safety improvements such as mid-block crosswalks and a flashing radar sign for motorists, were denied.

DeNave said with the $300,000 the borough already bonded for the project and the grant money, "I want to plan for doing some improvements on Kings Road without additional money."

DeNave said he believes the project can be done for about $90,000, including a sidewalk installation on the north side of Kings Road and regular crosswalks.

"I don't believe we'll be able to fund the flashing sign we wanted to have up there unless we ... dip in for another $15,000 to $20,000," DeNave said.

Councilman James Collander, who sits on the Traffic Safety Committee and has been involved with the Kings Road safety improvement plans for over a year, said the committee's priority was to get the sidewalks installed. 

"The speeds that we encounter," Collander said of Kings Road, "that is a hot spot in town."

Kings Road runs parallel to Main Street between Lafayette Avenue and Division Avenue in the borough, and then continues west into Madison. In Madison, the speed limit on Kings Road is 30 miles per hour. In Chatham, it is 25 miles per hour.

The only crosswalk currently is at the Lafayette Avenue intersection.

"That road is one of the worst roads in town," Collander said. "We've had radar ... [and] targeted enforcement out there many times. ... When the enforcement is out there, people slow down. When the enforcement isn't out there, people don't slow down."

Council President James Lonergan, who ran the meeting in Mayor Bruce Harris' absence, said, "We're not getting the project the way we want it, but we're getting it close."

Councilman John Holman said it made sense to get sidewalks installed soon. "If we have to work next year to do something else, or the next year, we can keep it on the radar," he said. 

When the Traffic Safety Committee polled residents of Kings Road, Collander said, a large percentage said they wanted a sidewalk. 

"I think that was the one thing we got a consensus on," Collander said.

However, sidewalks, once installed, become the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain. DeNave said sometimes residents do not wish to have sidewalks installed because of the responsibility.

DeNave said he would reach out to residents along Kings Road to make sure they are all aware of what to expect. He said he will also talk to PSE&G about the project.

"I think what Vince is talking about, ... for the money we're talking about, is something we should seriously consider doing," Collander said, and the council agreed.