Work under way on road project

PLUMSTED — Construction has begun on the relocation of the portion of Hopkins Road that intersects Route 539.

According to Mayor Ron Dancer, engineers with the Ocean County Engineering Department and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) determined it would be safer for Hopkins Road to be placed a greater distance from the intersection of Route 539 and Route 528.

Dancer said the Township Committee awarded the relocation work contract for a portion of the Hopkins Road project to C.J. Hesse, of the Belford section of Middletown, which was the lowest of six bids received. The firm will be paid $218,954.

Dancer said Plumsted received a $125,000 grant from the DOT to help pay for the project. The mayor lauded Committeeman Ken Francis’ efforts as liaison to the road department. Dancer said Francis was instrumental in obtaining the state aid.

Dancer also said construction on Plumsted’s new municipal building is progressing on schedule. The new town hall, a $2 million, 20,000-square-foot facility, will be built on Evergreen Road next to the new library.

In a related topic, Dancer said construction of the town’s newest municipal parking lot, on Main Street and Evergreen Road, is nearing completion with the paving phase now under way. Dancer said a state grant of $110,000 helped to fund the work.

"The ongoing improvements to New Egypt are self-evident and a priority with the Township Committee," he said.

— Kathy Baratta