Bernards School Board Seeks Bids for Two-Way Drive Into Ridge High

Bids will be sought for a project to create a two-way driveway with access to Ridge High School's back parking lots as an intended solution to the jam-ups and criss-crossing traffic present during arrival times on school mornings.

The Bernards Board of Education gave approval to seeking the bids on Monday night for the proposed entrance and exit off South Finley Avenue alongside the Bernards Township Health Department building. A one-way driveway would be closed, and the new access roadway would be slightly to the north, closer to the health department building, according to the plans. 

After the meeting, Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian said that a contract could be awarded in early spring, with the goal of completing the project by September.

He said the two-way access would serve to help separate traffic heading to the back parking lots. He said that buses would be rerouted so all would be heading northbound when they made a right-hand turn into the school, instead of merging with parents dropping off students at the front entrance to the building.

The project was outlined last year as option nine in a list of potential traffic solutions, with the cost quoted at a cost of just under $150,000, drawn up by a task force of school and municipal officials, Even so, Markarian cautioned during a March presentation, "We are trying to solve a problem that doesn't really have an ideal solution."

Markarian said on Monday that the project had approval from Somerset County. However, on Tuesday, neighbor Parag Dhagat questioned whether the project has the necessary road opening permit from the county, and he filed a request to seek an answer. The Somerset County road department's head could not be reached on Wednesday via email or phone.

Matthew Loper, Somerset County Engineer, said in an email on Thursday afternoon that there has not yet been an application for a road opening permit for two-way installation. He said his office would be the entity to handle such an application.

Markarian specified later that in speaking with Somerset County officials regarding the two-way drive, the county had not in any way object to the plan.

"In its conceptual stages the county did not indicate anything to me that would suggest that the project was objectionable," Markarian said in an email on Wednesday. "If a road opening permit is required then of course we'll seek that as well."