Council approves Top Line Construction contract for pedestrian beacons at South Washington and Newmarket

The Dunnellon Borough Council voted to award a contract to Top Line Construction for pedestrian-safety improvements at South Washington Avenue and Newmarket Road, approving the installation of rapid beacon lights and associated sidewalk work. "We received a $170,000 grant a couple years back... the project came in at a 177," Mayor Jason F. Salento said, describing the funding situation.

Council and staff said the project will be mostly grant-funded and will include RRFB rapid beacon lights at intersections near Columbia Park and other high-pedestrian areas; the work also covers sidewalk additions and restoration. The borough's engineer and CME Associates will forward the bid award package to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for review and set a pre-construction meeting with Top Line Construction.

County coordination and pedestrian phase: Mayor Salento reported discussions with Middlesex County engineers to implement a full pedestrian phase at a nearby county intersection that would stop vehicular traffic in all directions when a pedestrian activates the crosswalk. The county must present the recommendation to county commissioners, who would need to adopt an ordinance to prohibit right turns on red at that location.

Funding and scope: mayoral remarks indicated nearly full grant coverage: "So that means they'll be almost funded entirely by grants," Salento said. The council approved the contract by roll call during the meeting.

Provenance: The contract award and funding details were discussed and approved in the March 16 council meeting; project description and grant amounts were provided by the mayor and administrative staff.