By Andrew Martins
Staff Writer
JACKSON – Improvements along Wright-Debow Road have begun, according to Township Engineer Daniel Burke, who said employees of DeFino Contracting have started clearing trees and addressing utility issues.
The Township Council recently awarded the Aberdeen Township firm a contract worth more than $729,000 for the upgrades.
Wright-Debow Road “is one of the more significant through roads in town and it warrants the improvement,” Burke said.
Burke said the project will “modify some curves, install curb drainage … reconstruct the entire road base and widen the street” from the intersection of Wright-Debow Road and Route 537 to a wetlands and culvert area about 3,500 feet from that intersection. He said the work is needed to modernize the road and to improve sight lines for motorists.
“When I redo a road, if it is a reconstruction, we try to bring it up to standards,” Burke said. “In days past, we were not so particular about what they call ‘roadway geometry’ like vertical curves and horizontal curves. Given the design speeds, they should be modified and adjusted.”
Five other firms submitted a base bid for the Wright-Debow Road project: Lucas Construction, ($810,491); Earle Asphalt, ($821,814); Meco Inc., ($858,962); C.J. Hesse, ($895,500); and Bil-Jim Construction, ($969,145).
As required by state regulations, Jackson’s officials awarded the contract to DeFino Contracting because the firm was determined to be the lowest responsible bidder. Burke said about $320,000 of the project’s cost will be covered by a grant from the state Department of Transportation.
According to a resolution, the township also sought an optional bid for a 5-inch-thick concrete sidewalk along the road. Prices submitted by the six responding bidders ranged from an additional $73,500 to $122,587.
The bid from DeFino Contracting called for an additional $90,300 for the sidewalk, bringing the firm’s total bid to $819,584. Given the slightly more expensive cost of the type of concrete that was going to be used for the sidewalk, as well as the lack of significant pedestrian traffic in the area, Burke said the sidewalk was eliminated to cut costs.
“There will be drainage work, so there will be backhoes out there,” he said. “There will be curb work and then the road will be fully reconstructed, so there will be some interference, but we will set up the proper detours and notify affected residents and commercial entities along that route.”
The work is expected to take about 90 days and the road will be closed periodically during business hours. Burke said he hoped to get the project completed by the end of the summer, as to not disrupt school traffic in September.
