The Brunswick Pike streetscape improvement project has been 17 years in the making
Work on the long-awaited Brunswick Pike streetscape improvement project is under way on a one-mile stretch of Brunswick Pike, between Lake Drive and the Brunswick Circle.
Decorative cobblestone pavers have been installed at the intersections of side streets and Brunswick Pike on the east side of the street. New sidewalks have been installed along Brunswick Pike on the west side.
The stretch of Brunswick Pike that is undergoing beautification will be known as “The Boulevard at Brunswick Pike,” Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski said. It has been nearly 17 years in the making, he said.
The plan calls for installing cobblestone pavers at the intersections of the side streets and Brunswick Pike between Lake Drive and Hope Avenue on the east side, and to Maplewood Avenue on the west side.
Cobblestone pavers will be installed at each end of the landscaped grass medians that divide Brunswick Pike into two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes. Trees will be planted in the grass medians.
To improve pedestrian safety, the asphalt imitation-brick crosswalks will be replaced with white painted crosswalks. The painted crosswalks are more visible, easier to maintain and less subject to wear, officials said.
Pedestrian-activated rectangular rapid flashing beacons will be installed at the intersections of the side streets and Brunswick Pike. They will alert motorists to the presence of pedestrians who want to cross Brunswick Pike.
The streetscape project will help link the residential and commercial uses along Brunswick Pike, officials said. The goal is to make the Brunswick Pike corridor more pedestrian-friendly – especially for the senior citizens who live in the Heritage Village at Lawrence apartment building on Brunswick Pike, officials said.
Lawrence Township officials also hope that the streetscape improvement project will spur economic and commercial development along that stretch of Brunswick Pike.
Officials have been focused on redeveloping that portion of Brunswick Pike for more than 25 years. The area was designated as a redevelopment zone in an amendment to the township’s Master Plan in 1995.
Roadwork design plans for Brunswick Pike were completed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in 2015. The state agency has jurisdiction over Brunswick Pike.
The NJDOT moved ahead with the construction of the Whitehead Road roundabout, and also constructed the grass median between the roundabout and the Brunswick Circle.
Control over that section of Brunswick Pike will be turned over to Lawrence Township by the NJDOT after the streetscape improvement project has been completed.
