$150K Grant Will Expand Road-Paving Plan, Officials Say

Ramsey is on the receiving end of a Department of Transportation grant that officials say will help expand the 2013 road-resurfacing plan.

The DOT awarded a $150,000 grant to Ramsey for a repaving project on Shadyside Road, Governor Chris Christie announced in a release last week.

According to Mayor Chris Botta, the grant should cover most of the cost of the repaving project, which he said at a Wednesday night council meeting was “very much needed.”

Shadyside, Borough Administrator Bruce Vozeh said, would be an addition to the list of roadways Ramsey has already marked as ones that will receive repaving this year.

“We kept Shadyside off the list because it [was a big project], and we knew we had this grant pending,” he said.

Earlier this year, the borough council earmarked about $332,000 to go toward the repaving of nine Ramsey roadways:

• North Spruce Street (Island Ave to end)
• Overlook Court (E. Crescent to end)
• Church St (Main St to Gertzen Plaza)
• Swan St (Rt 17 ROW to RR Station)
• Dogwood Terrace
• Norman Drive (Culvert to House #196)
• Canterbury Drive (House # 211 to 276)
• Crest Road

Ramsey is part of a multi-town regional cooperative that seeks group rates on road resurfacing projects each year, officials said. According to Vozeh, nine towns are participating in the group this year. The total cost for paving all of the roads in all nine towns is about $3M, and each town pays for its own portion.

The $150,000 grant was part of an $86.5 million package that will help fund road projects across the state. According to a release from the DOT, 48 Bergen County towns were among the 406 municipalities statewide that received grants.

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