Byram drivers to get a smoother ride

State grants provide for additional road projects, By Jane Primerano Byram - The last phase of Amity Road in Byram Township is scheduled to be paved this summer, finishing up a project partially funded through a state grant. The ordinance appropriating $292,000 for the roadwork has been introduced and is slated for a public hearing and adoption at the June 19 township council meeting. At that time, the contract for this phase of the work can also be awarded, expediting the project’s final phase. Township Administrator Gregory Poff expects the work to begin soon after the contract is awarded. Amity Road is a well-traveled route that connects Roseville Road with Sparta-Stanhope Road. The resurfacing project was broken into three phases, paid for by a combination of local and state funding. Byram Township set aside $270,000 in its 2006 budget for roadwork. In addition, the township received a $130,000 state Department of Transportation grant enabling the municipality to pursue additional resurfacing projects, Poff explained. With the remaining $108,000, the municipality plans to complete two other projects this summer at French’s Grove in Cranberry Lake and a small section of C.O. Trail. The preliminary work, drainage and clearing, will be done by the township’s Department of Public Works, and the resurfacing will be contracted out. The combined process is a standard procedure for Byram, according to Poff. In other related businesses, Poff and other township officials have scheduled a meeting with state’s Department of Transportation officials in Trenton on June 22, to discuss Byram’s opposition to the proposed changes to Route 206. A draft agenda is to be sent to Byram this week by the Dept. of Transportation. Township officials anticipate discussion will include the timetable for the project. Poff said Byram has not been notified of the state’s schedule for the work. One of the issues the township council wants to secure from state officials is a written agreement about the future of Lockwood Cemetery, which is near the northbound lanes of the state highway in the Lockwood section of the township. Because the cemetery is a township historic site, local officials are insistent that the state makes its plans clear before any work commences, according to Councilwoman Donna Griff. In addition to the cemetery, Byram officials are maintaining their demands that the state keeps the municipality informed of any land acquisition related to the road widening. The township council will hold its reorganization meeting Wednesday, July 5, pre-empting the regular meeting which would have been held Monday, July 3. However, very little business beyond that which is required for reorganization is expected to be covered at that meeting. The next regular meeting is set for Monday, July 17.