MARLBORO – The Marlboro Township Council has introduced an ordinance that would, if adopted, appropriate a $420,236 grant for a Pleasant Valley streambank project.
Council members introduced the ordinance on July 11 and set Aug. 15 as the date for a public hearing on the proposal. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide funds for a streambank stabilization project on Pleasant Valley Road.
Council members may adopt the ordinance following the public hearing.
The project has been identified in Marlboro’s multi-year capital plan and officials sought funding from FEMA. The project area is on Pleasant Valley Road between Igoe Road and Route 34. Officials said the project will mitigate the potential for streambank erosion and collapse during flooding events.
The total estimated cost of the Pleasant Valley project, excluding engineering and construction management costs, is $560,315. Marlboro will be responsible for a 25% cost share under the FEMA grant program.
“Our Office of Emergency Management strives to be prepared for all types of weather emergencies,” Mayor Jonathan Hornik said. “We understand the key to preparation is long-term planning (and) identifying vulnerabilities in advance of extreme weather events. This project was identified as a critical need and it clearly fit FEMA’s objective of ‘pre-disaster mitigation.’ ”
According to a report from Township Administrator Jonathan Capp, “The project includes construction of a steel sheeting wall along Pleasant Valley Road. The sheeting will be installed between the road and Hopp Brook.
“The sheeting is proposed to mitigate against erosion that occurs along the shoreline of the stream. The steel sheeting will be able to handle a 100-year storm and will require minimal maintenance from the township.
“Currently, erosion has scoured the bank close to the edge of the pavement. Continued scour from the stream flow will compromise Pleasant Valley Road to the point of potential collapse of the road. The project will also include the installation of guide rail along the project limits due to the unrecoverable slope and inadequate clear zone adjacent to the new sheeting.
“The sheeting is required as erosion during large rainfall events due to high water runoff velocity and volume causes washout of the road. Currently, the Department of Public Works installs rip rap (loose stone) at locations of washout which only provides a temporary mitigation to the erosion,” Capp said in the report.
Capp said municipal officials anticipate awarding a contract for the project by September and said the work could be completed before the end of the year. A detour will be established during the time Pleasant Valley Road is closed for construction.
