The project to reconstruct a portion of Route 70’s eastbound lanes in Brick cost slightly more than originally conceived, officials said.
The project, which included the conversion of the shoulder into a third lane just south of the intersection with Brick Boulevard, overran its cost estimate by $83,067. An underground pipe that had to be installed plus the extra pavement required to cover the area led to the increase, said Joanne Bergin, the township’s business administrator.
At first, Bergin said, the state Department of Transportation said it would not cover the added cost. But Mayor John Ducey, in a recent meeting with DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox, convinced him that refusing to cover the overrun would be an “extreme inequity.”
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The state has now committed to covering the full cost of the overrun, Bergin said.