MARLBORO – During a meeting of the mayor and Township Council on June 16, Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik announced plans for a $35 million road program.
The program will roll out over seven years and is an extension of Hornik’s four-prong $10 million road repair initiative unveiled in 2018 continuing to make road repairs the central fixture of Marlboro’s capital plan. The township has completed more than $15 million worth of road improvements since 2018, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.
The 2022 capital investment in roads will be the largest investment in road improvements in the township’s history, according to the press release.
Hornik referenced the aging of Marlboro’s infrastructure, aggravated by extreme weather events, and the township’s strong financial position behind the timing of this proposal, according to the press release.
“Marlboro housing was largely built out in the 1980s and 1990s, and as a result previous administrations were able to avoid making any down payments on infrastructure. Those areas of town are now decades old and require even more attention in our capital program.
“Changing weather patterns have also brought more severe weather our way over the last
several years. Snow and freezing temperatures have accelerated the wear and tear on our
roads and aggressive snow removal activities have taken a toll,” the mayor said.
“We substantially ramped up road improvements with my 2018 $10 million road improvement initiative. With Marlboro’s debt load well below statutory limits and Triple-A bond ratings from both S&P and Moody’s, now is a prudent time to continue our progress on investments in critical infrastructure,” Hornik said.
Before the 2018 $10 million initiative, the township’s annual commitment to road
reconstruction has averaged between $1.5 million and $3 million, with additional funding to match federal and state grants when available, according to the press release.
Since 2001, Marlboro has repaved 173 complete and 41 partial roads totaling
approximately 294,000 linear feet or 55 miles of road, according to the press release.
That total does not include many of Marlboro’s busiest roads and intersections such as Route 9, Route 520, Route 79 and Tennent Road, which are under the jurisdiction of the state or Monmouth County.
The township continues to work with the appropriate authority to address the state and county intersections and roads that are of concern, according to the press release.
“Marlboro consists of 200 miles of township-owned roads across 32.5 square miles. With a price tag of more than $500,000 to reconstruct 1 mile of road, it has been an understandably slow and frustrating process,” Hornik said.
Marlboro officials maintain a pothole portal on the municipal website through which residents who drive local streets every day can help direct township resources to those areas most in need, according to the press release. Thousands of potholes
have been reported online.
Marlboro’s 2022 road improvements yeport with the list of local roads under
consideration will be finalized after the Township Council authorization is in place, the engineering design contract is authorized and the bid specifications are completed, according to the press release.
