Kalogridis Contracting LLC was the only bidder for the job
Work on a long-awaited section of the walking trail around Colonial Lake is set to begin in September.
The Lawrence Township Council awarded a $131,780 contract to Kalogridis Contracting LLC to construct the trail along the northwest side of the lake at its Aug. 15 meeting.
The North Brunswick Township-based contractor was the only bidder for the job. Township officials rejected bids for the project earlier this year because they were over the town’s estimate.
The 1,200-foot-long trail segment will be eight feet wide. It will continue from the existing trail on the north side of Colonial Lake and stop at the sidewalk connection on Route 1 North.
The project will provide opportunities for increased use of the recreational trail system in the park by linking the existing network with the new section to complete the loop around the lake, officials said.
Residents who live on the north side of Colonial Lake cannot conveniently get to the children’s playground area or the tennis courts in the park, officials said.
Colonial Lake Park will be accessible to all users for all purposes with the trail system in place. Users will not have to drive to the park or use a circuitous route to get to the southern part of the park.
The trail is being built on part of a 5.8-acre parcel of land that Lawrence Township acquired from Sheft Associates Inc. in 2020.
Sheft Associates Inc. owns the Colonial Bowling and Entertainment Center at 2420 Brunswick Pike and had previously proposed building a 123-room extended stay hotel on the tract.
Lawrence Township paid $3.65 million for the tract. The money was provided through a combination of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program, the Mercer County Open Space Assistance Fund and the Lawrence Township Open Space Fund.
