Route 206 bridge work will start as scheduled despite state government shutdown

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The project to replace one bridge and repair another on Route 206 will start as scheduled this week, despite a state government shutdown, the town said Monday.
Municipal engineer Deanna Stockton said she had contacted, over the weekend, the contractor doing the $7.4 million job, South State Inc., with the company saying he had received no notification from the state.
“I was kind of concerned that the shutdown would mean that they wouldn’t be able to work,” she said.
State government is shutdown, except for essential services, amid a budget dispute between Gov. Chris Christie and state Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. On its website, the state Department of Transportation said construction, emergency repairs and roadside safety services will continue.
“Construction will continue during the shutdown,” DOT spokesman Stephen Schapiro said Monday.
Stockton said DOT inspectors would be on the job site.
A section of the state highway will be closed beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 6, through the end of the year to allow crews to reconstruct the 18th century stone arch bridge and replace another bridge, both located over the Stony Brook.
In a press release issued last week, the DOT said motorists and trucks would need to take detours to avoid the closure, with car detours beginning at Carter Road and Lovers Lane. “Local access will be maintained for residents and businesses on Route 206, including the Hun School,” the DOT news release said.
NJ Transit 606 bus service will be impacted, with the agency saying there will be no service at bus stops on Route 206 at Carriage Way, Hutchinson Drive, Quaker  Road, Edgerstone Road, Independence Drive and Elm Road.
PSE&G is taking advantage of the highway being closed to replace a gas main on Route 206, in an area from Quaker Road to around Province Line Road, starting July 10, Stockton said.