WILDWOOD – Even though a major overhaul to Rio Grande Avenue, the road into the city, will not be completed before Memorial Day weekend, the county engineer in charge of the project reports all lanes will be open to traffic before the holiday weekend. The finishing touches are expected in the weeks that follow, said officials.
The $13.7 million project was expected to be completed by the end of May; however, it will extend “several weeks” after Memorial Day weekend, Robert Church, the county engineer in charge, wrote in an e-mail to the Herald.
The final paving was completed May 15 along the main stretch and connecting side streets will be paved this week.
New traffic signals will be installed and ready by Memorial Day weekend, which will have a push-button option for pedestrians. So, while it may be more of an eye-sore for the unofficial summer kickoff than officials had originally hoped, traffic should flow as planned.
“There’s no way we want to have traffic redirected o
n Memorial Day weekend,” said Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron. “The more important things should hopefully be done by Memorial Day and then I think aesthetically there will still be some things they need to clean up.”
What’s still unclear is what the road will be called when the project is completed. The city had run an open survey online, soliciting new names for the homestretch to the Five Mile Beach.
“We’re kind of still toying with that. We’ve narrowed it down to maybe five names. There’s still no guarantees at the end of the day it won’t still be Rio Grande Avenue, but we do have some interesting names,” Byron said.
Byron would not offer up any of the finalists for what the new name might be. Previously the mayor said he was overwhelmed by the response received. Now that they’ve narrowed it down, his lips are sealed.
“I would get crucified if I let that out,” Byron said.
New traffic light poles will be completed by the end of the week, however Byron said the signage ordered was all blank, adding that if the city goes with a new name they won’t make the change until the project’s full completion in the coming weeks.
“You’re trying to get that out. Honest to God, we have not had a definitive determination as to what that name is going to be,” said the mayor.
After the holiday weekend, Church stated there are still several facets of the project which will need to be completed, “including the completion of the electrical work to service the new stormwater pump station, landscaping at the pump station grounds, continuation of the site work at the proposed pocket park of Hudson Avenue and final traffic striping installation. Other work associated with the project will be the installation of a decorative free-standing Welcome Sign and an Information Sign that will be equipped with digital display.”
One of the major reasons for the project was the installation of the pump station, which will be hidden behind a concrete wall on the north side of Rio Grande Avenue as you come into town.
The road was also raised by 30 inches as part of the project. City and county officials hope this will go a long way to alleviate flooding.
The road is a county road and so the county, not the city, is in charge of the project. The $13.7 million price tag is paid in part by grants totaling about $6 million. This includes a $1.9 million FEMA grant, $4 million in NJDOT County Aid allotment grants, and a $0.17 million Open Space grant for the proposed pocket park on Hudson Avenue, according to Church.
Byron said the new name, or lack of one, will be announced in an unveiling ceremony, which he is targeting for late June or early July.
To contact Shay Roddy, email sroddy@cmcherald.com.
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