Claremont Road Repaving Set To End Oct. 2

Repaving work on Claremont Road is scheduled to end on October 2, also bringing an end to traffic headaches encountered by those trying to get to or leave Claremont Road and Franklin Park schools.

The work began early in the week of September 25 and immediately caused traffic snarls for buses and parents in the mornings and afternoons.

Schools Superintendent John Ravally brought the situation up during the Board of Education’s September 28 meeting.

Ravally said the work caught the District by surprise, and that he had contacted Somerset County officials and managed to get the starting time moved to past when students arrived in the morning.

“We were not aware of the project and unfortunately we were not given any time by the County to make our families aware of the ongoing work,” he said.

He said he wasn’t as lucky for the afternoon departures, and that single-lane traffic flows would be implemented.

“Dismissal time at both school will be affected and I encourage you to give yourself plenty of time if you are picking up a child,” Ravally said.

A Somerset County spokesperson said that the Township had been notified of the work well before its start time.

“Somerset County is committed to communicating with local communities and residents whenever roadwork is scheduled that could be disruptive,” the official wrote in an email. “For Claremont (Road) in Franklin Township, the County had posted construction signage along the route to be paved in July and notified each of the affected towns’ local governments and police agencies of the start date as soon as it was determined in September.”

“A week prior to the paving, the County placed an illuminated message board on Claremont (Road) to ensure those traveling the route regularly were aware of the construction,” the official wrote.

“As soon as the Franklin School District reached out after the paving project began, the County altered its start time to after the drop-off period in the mornings, and changed traffic routing to ensure good traffic flow at dismissal,” the official wrote.

The official said the work is set to end on Oct. 2.

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