Road department installs new drainage grates

The Monmouth County Road Department recently completed a project to replace drainage grates to make county roads safer for bicyclists. The department replaced grates along Route 520 (Newman Springs Road) in Holmdel, Middletown and Tinton Falls.

The older grates used on storm drainage inlets were made of castings with widely spaced bars running parallel to traffic. Although effective in handling stormwater runoff, the wide spacing of the bars were a problem for cyclists, and had the potential to catch a wheel and misdirect the cyclist.

The newer bicycle-friendly grates are designed differently and are safer for cyclists to ride across. The department recently completed the first initiative of the project, which consisted of replacing 115 of the older grates. The nine-mile stretch of road along Route 520 runs from Route 34 in Holmdel to Route 13 (Shrewsbury Avenue) in Tinton Falls.

The second initiative will be construction of a pedestrian/bicycle pathway along the southerly side of Route 520 from Phalanx Road, Middletown, to Middletown Road, Holmdel. The majority of the pathway will be a 10-foot-wide trail, suitable for pedestrian and bicycle use, or, where site conditions do not permit a wider trail, a sidewalk.

The project engineer will be Schoor DePalma Inc. and low bidder for construction was A. Montone Construction, Holmdel. The contract was awarded at a Freeholder’s meeting in late October, with work to begin next spring.

Locally, the sidewalks/pathways will be constructed on Route 537 (Tinton Avenue), Eatontown; Route 537 and 46 (Dutch Lane Road), Freehold Township; Route 520, Holmdel and Middletown (including Brookdale Community College and Thompson Park, Lincroft section of Middletown); Route 25 (Norwood Avenue), Long Branch; Routes 15 and 25, West Long Branch; and Routes 3 and 6A, Aberdeen.