MARGATE – City officials Thursday, April 17 heard a presentation from city engineer Ed Dennis Jr. of Remington & Vernick Engineers about the long-anticipated Washington Avenue streetscape plan.
Establishing a new streetscape along Washington Avenue from the beach to the bay was “not dreamed up in a vacuum” and was a recommendation in the 2017 Master Plan Reexamination Report, Dennis said. The plan, which was developed with the aid of a steering committee made up of city and public safety officials and business leaders, is designed to create a pathway to connect Lucy the Elephant to the Ventnor Avenue business district and the Marina District on Amherst Avenue.
Dennis said the input received from members of the steering committee “changed the plan in significant ways and made it a better project.”
Rendering Washington Avenue streetscapeThe plan will change the traffic pattern – currently a two-way street from Ventnor to Amherst Avenue – into a one way street heading from Atlantic Avenue to Amherst Avenue. The cartway will include a bi-directional bicycle path on the south (Longport) side of the street – painted green like the one on Atlantic Avenue, and will link the two bicycle paths. The plan maintains all parallel parking spaces on both sides of the street and will not impact the flow of traffic on other streets, Dennis said.
Pedestrian improvements include bump-outs at several intersections that will serve to calm traffic and shorten the distance between the two sides of the street. Flexible bollards will be located on the corners to provide a visual reminder for motorists to watch out for pedestrians. The crosswalks and sidewalks will be paved with brick pavers. Concrete curb ramps, curbs and gutters will be upgraded before the roadway is repaved. The paving portion of the project includes water, sanitary sewer and stormwater drainage system improvements.
A feature of the new streetscape will be 47 new street trees installed in the governor’s strip, but without tree grates. Current species recommended is the honey locust, which are the same trees planted in front of Historic City Hall at 1 S. Washington Ave.
The $3.5 million project is being funded in part with $1.6 million in grants from the NJ Department of Transportation and federal government. Grant funds include $162,000 from the DOT’s Safe Routes to Transit grant program, and $1.5 million from the competitive federal Transportation Alternatives Set Aside program.
The project also includes some minor improvements, such as park benches at bus stops on the Ventnor Avenue Parkway.
In an ideal world, the project will start and end on time according to the following schedule: authorize the project in May; bidding and award of contracts during summer, start construction in the fall, and finish by spring 2026.
“It’s an exciting project for the city and is consistent with our Master Plan,” Dennis said.
Mayor Michael Collins said there was ample opportunity for public input on the project from the Citizens Advisory Board, Sustainable Margate, local business owners and residents of the area.
“A lot of good minds and ideas that led us to here. I think it’s a great project and anything we can do to promote walking, biking and pedestrian traffic is great, especially in a town where parking is limited,” Collins said. “I look forward to next summer when it’s done.”
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