Phase III is currently out for bid. Right now the scheduled bid date is April 27, barring any addendums, which will push the opening date back a little. Construction probably wouldnt begin until late June.

As far as Newark Phase 1 and 2, The clock at Grove is fixed now. Under our contract manufacturer just replaced all the guts as well as a new Lexan bezel. Also they installed a little computer inside so it should keep time and make adjustments for daylight savings time all by itself.

Our striping subcontractor will be at Grove tomorrow to finish the remaining crosswalks...sorry for the delay. JC was determining if they were going to install any more brick crosswalks but they recently made their decision. .

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Agreed. The problem on Newark was all the joints. Basicly they were looking for a stamped concrete look but told us we had to do it by hand. We do lots of mag finishes but working in such small panels means that you can never make a nice sweep with the float. Some of the guys just troweled over the joints and remade them and others just tried not to get too close to them, either way it was tedious work.

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Thank you for your well written post earlier which was a fair assesment of my attitude...which led to my retraction. I shouldve handled it better. But anyway the city did not want to apply any striping to th crosswalks directly on Newark so they wouldnt have to be milled off later to install the fancy ones. I agree it is important to get something in place for safety. Friday our stripers are set to return to finish things up. They are going to try a different product on the intersection of First and Newark. Its a product used in Canada and has never been used in the states. The port authority and others have shown interest but JC will be the first. They agreed to install it at no charge for the city. So as an FYI Friday between Coles and Jersey will be open for East bound traffic only.

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Agree again. Like the granite and bluestone we put in from Sussex to Montgomery on Greene? Thats on stone dust, I think it is better on a mortar base like we did by St. Aeden's church on Bergen Ave. Also the stone paving at Grove Plaza is thin, almost more of a slate. We bid that work as a subcontractor but we didnt get it. After seeing the stone they used I think I know why.

After re-reading my post I realized I must have been having a pretty bad day. I didn't mean to insult or enrage...well maybe I did, but I take it back. I never was never very good at public relations...or pouring concrete, as some have pointed out.

The comments about the workmanship is what really got me. Our crews are the same people who finished many projects downtown as well as other areas around the city. The finishers we have are some of the best in the buisness and work all over the state however, the finish specified on this project was intended to be rough and random in appearance. It was my opinion that a standard broom finish with neat sawcut joints would have yeilded a much nicer finish....kind of like we did on Bergen Ave or Greene Street. Not to mention faster and less labor intensive but the city didn\'t go for it. Begging your patience let me explain from my side:

First the concrete is placed, and then a bull float is used to flatten it out. Then on most other projects a broom is run over the top and its done. But JC requsted a magnesium float finish and tooled joints in an attempt to create a bluestone look. This means that there is a lot of layout so the cuts are consistant and perfectly straight with the other slabs you poured. Then the joint tool is hand applied and each little block is created in a non-colinear running bond pattern. Then a magnesium hand float is used to roughen up the srface..this means most of the joints you made need to be opened back up and carefully recreated. All of this with NJDOT concrete which in the summer gives you about an hour or so to actually do all this with 10 cubic yards, even with a retarder admix it pretty much doubles the amount of men and about triples the amount of time to pour a load. And in the end it really doesn\'t look that great. So having gone through this all summer I\'m a little sensitive to criticism. No one\'s eyes are as critical as mine and it disappoints me when people feel I haven\'t done my job or wasted their money after we did our best.

The HDSID gets updates from the city and our company so if you have any questions or concerns it would probably be best to contact them and they can contact me. I dont want to interfere with their operations when it is their responsibility (and I do believe they're better at it) to answer questions. I just stuck my nose in here because it seemed like people really wanted some answers and I felt I could help out.

It seems there are two types of people on this board, those who have genuine concerns or questions and those who search for any oppurtunity to complain or showcase their modest knowledge of any subject as if they are an expert. I'll address the former of the two.

All the crosswalks will be "painted" or more specificly, striped with long life thermoplastic. Some may have the fake brick effect but unfortunately not as many as the city had hoped they would be able to do. The money was budgeted but I'll explain it so it is understood. If you were the city and you had $250,000, would you repair unforseen dangerous sidewalk vaults or would you drop it all on some fancy crosswalks and hope for the best? Every project has comprimises and JC does their best to get as much as possible from the various grants given to them whether it be from the NJDOT, The UEZ, or the federal government. The image of them as bumbling idiots or wasteful is fairly amusing and statements to this end are mostly born from an ingnorance of the facts.

I am beginning to understand why this forum is so seldom visited by people with actual knowledge of city government. It serves a legitamate purpose and I dont want people to have to look for another outlet due to my interjection of truth. So, like I had said earlier, if anyone has any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them in person on the street.

You may now proceed with your bashing......

They are for street signs. Newark Ave is getting all new traffic and parking signs which will be installed shortly. I apollogize for the amount of time those holes have been there but our sub-contractor says they are taking a long time to manufacture them. I call them on a daily basis to transfer the pressure I'm under by JC onto them.

Not to crosspost I'll answer your road project completion thread here. On First and Jersey there were some vehicles in the way which were local residents. Rather than asking them to move we plan on completing that work when we return to finish the crosswalks. JC is seeing how much money is left in our contract to decide how these crosswalks will be completed. The polymer resin crosswalks (the fake red brick effect you see on Erie) are ultra expensive and with all the basement reconstructions the city was forced to undertake during sidewalk construction they may not legally be able to pay us to do them. State contracts law prohibits a public contract to exceed 20% of the bid amount. JC is waiting for the final quantities to see how many if any crosswalks will be done this way under our contract. Right now I am working with JC to determine the final as-built quantities....and no we havnt been paid....to answer your question.

We are not finished. The silver "cobra" streetlights still need to come down and the sidwalk patched as soon as PSE&G starts to install the black ornamental ones next week. The trash cans and the 15 36" high black concrete planters need to be installed between Barrow and Grove as well as the monument and decorative light in the center of Mercado Park. The job is starting to come together but unfortunately it is taking slightly longer than anticipated primarily due to PSE&G who I've been leaning on since April but are finally set to start on Nov.2.

I hope this answers some questions.

Oh and I happen to think JC made the right decision by facing the benches outward...interaction with people on the sidewalk was the intent rather than looking away from them and it seems to be exactly what is happening. I would also feel safer that way. just my .02

First let me introduce myself at risk of confrontation as the superintendent for the construction company presently working on the Newark Avenue streetscape. Someone told me about this site a little while ago so I figured I?d see what people had to say. Honestly I?m a little surprised at all of the misinformation regarding the work we are doing so I?m joining this forum as a service to your community. Im under no illusion that I could possibly please everyone but hopefully with a little more information you will have a better understanding of the project. I?ll try to address a few of the main issues rather than debating the insulting comments I have read and feel free to ask any of the workers for Jeff or I?ll try to look back here to answer them as they arise.
The trees were removed?yes, but all of the trees which were removed were not done so in hap hazard or clear cut manner and they will be replaced with new ones. Many of them were causing damage to underground rooms which in some cases project all the way from the building to the curb line. One in fact (183 Newark) had barely any soil around the roots and was leaning into the street heaving the sidewalk as it was planted on top of their basement. The city tried to save as many as they could but unfortunately many had outlived their environment and had become unsuitable and dangerous. Although it may sound easy to put in trees all over the place it?s really quite complicated. Many locations that look great at first have utilities underground or overhead, a basement or coal chamberprojecting out, or the store owner vehemently objects to blocking their facade or door way. Regardless I believe we only removed 3 on Newark and we are replanting 17 red Maples, a tree with a root system more suited for street use, at 14-16 feet high. There will also be 20 decorative concrete planters 36? high X 48? in diameter containing Smoke Bushes 4?-5? high. These are in addition to the trees in the new Mercado Park which will contain 3 red maples and 2 Alberta Spruce as well as a planting area for perennials. Don?t expect the trees until planting season in mid October as the summer heat is not conducive to transplanting.
We have never ?cut in? a tree grate on this project?they have all been cast in place so I?m a bit confused with that as well. The plastic covering on the tactile warning surfaces is left to protect the surface during construction and will be removed after paving. The silver cobra street lights are all coming down and to be replaced by a more historic decorative black fixture bolted to the foundations which are already in place with underground conduit. If you see a traffic cone bolted to the sidewalk every 50 feet or so that is where they will be going. The quantum leap in appearance will come when the road is milled, repaved, and restriped during night work in mid-September.
Like DCofJC said, it is a ?process? that encompasses many blocks and streets so as it may appear that a portion is complete but rest assured it is not. On nearly a daily basis I answer questions and even show people the plans when asked. Once they are able to see the full picture they have all been pleased. We apologize for the disruption but ask for your patience a little longer until all the improvements are complete.