Hunterdon County approves $6.6 million in road, bridge and pavement contracts

Hunterdon County commissioners voted June 17 to approve a series of contracts and purchase orders for county roads, bridges and infrastructure maintenance, including multiple microsurfacing (slurry seal) projects and two large resurfacing awards.

Commissioner Rich, the board's liaison to the Department of Public Works, said microsurfacing is a cost‑effective preventative treatment. “Microsurfacing, also referred to as slurry seal, is often pointed to as the most economical choice for preserving pavement,” he told the board, describing the material as “a mixture of polymer‑modified asphalt emulsion, fine graded crushed aggregate, and mineral filler” used to seal early pavement distress.

The board approved multiple purchase orders with Asphalt Paving Systems for slurry/microsurfacing on County Route 523 (requisition R25‑3573, not to exceed $1,531,066.05), County Routes 626 and 641 (R25‑3576, $435,424.39) and County Route 633 (R25‑3728, $138,419.67). It also approved resurfacing and rehabilitation contracts with Kyle County Construction for County Route 635 (RFP/contract award, $1,931,139) and a separate county bid for service treatment of a county group in Franklin Township (county bid 2025‑12, $1,198,891). A contract award for culvert and bridge repairs (county bid 2025‑7) with Detour Landscaping (listed in the record as the successful bidder) totaled $423,914.85. The board also approved a bridge painting contract with United Painters (county bid 2025‑10, about $457,000).

Other approved items included: mobile column lifts (Stertil Connie USA, R25‑4009, $147,196.96); an annual GIS software maintenance contract (ESRI, R25‑3191, $48,852); 911 GIS data development services (ARH Associates, R25‑3165, $77,723); and IT consulting services with Gartner (R25‑3882, $51,173.33). The board approved a contract amendment for professional engineering design services for a communications tower on Jugtown Preserve property (VCOM amendment, approximately $7,400 additional).

Board votes on the resolutions and contract awards were recorded by roll call and carried as presented. Several commissioners framed the approvals as part of a broader, multi‑year investment in preservation and rehabilitation; Commissioner Rich noted the county has approximately 243 roads under its jurisdiction and said microsurfacing is part of a lifecycle strategy to extend pavement life.

The county purchasing agent, Ray Ruhl, handled the solicitations and presented the recommended low bidders or sole providers for each procurement; the board cited competitive bidding and alignment with the 2025 capital budget for the larger items.

For reference, these procurement and contract approvals were made by formal motion and recorded roll call votes during the June 17 meeting. The purchases draw from the county's capital and operating budgets and were described by the board as prioritized maintenance and lifecycle investments.

The board did not discuss detailed project start dates or contractor mobilization timelines during the public meeting; implementation details and project schedules were not specified in the session record.