Public Works (Roads)
Alan Spector, Director of Public Works
DEPARTMENTS
Public Works (Roads)
For the convenience of Manalapan Township residents, recycling facilities are available in the Public Works yard, located at 207 Route 522. Access to the facilities is made available Monday-Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Containers are available for newspaper, cardboard, co-mingled (cans, bottles, plastic), metal, covered electronics (desktop or personal computers, monitors and televisions) and car batteries only.
Regular office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.
The Department of Public Works has many areas of responsibilities. Included are Road Maintenance, Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance, Grounds Maintenance, Building Maintenance, and Parks Maintenance. These are all accomplished with a staff of 28 full-time employees.
Brush and tree limbs will be collected by the garbage company on the second refuse collection day of each week all year long. Please use the following guidelines:
Tied securely in bundles
4 foot maximum length
50 pounds maximum weight
2 bundle maximum each collection
Place any large storm damaged limbs at the curb and notify DPW within two weeks following the storm, for removal.
Maintenance of Township Roads
- Street and Traffic Signs: Work closely with the Police Traffic Department installing and maintaining all street and traffic signs on Township roads.
- Paving: Paving projects completed during 2023 were Fairfield Court, Topanga Court, Cherry Hill Lane, Glendale Drive, Foxboro Lane, Saratoga Drive, Lincolnshire Drive, Plymouth Lane, Monterey Lane and Belle Terre Drive and sections of Pine Brook Road and Iron Ore Road.
- Snow Plowing: Snowplows are dispatched when snow has accumulated to three (3) inches. Working in conjunction with County and State vehicles, all main roads within the Township are plowed first, insuring the passage of emergency vehicles. Secondary roads are plowed after main roads have been plowed with development roads being plowed after all main roads and secondary roads have been plowed. Township Ordinance #226-31 prohibits parking on any street within the Township when roads are snow covered and all parked vehicles are subject to being ticketed or towed at the owner’s expense. Township Ordinance #204-11 prohibits the throwing, placing or depositing of any snow or ice upon the public street in front of their property.
- Potholes: Potholes occur from freezing and thawing conditions and are filled as quickly as possible. Resident’s phone calls reporting potholes are welcomed.
Other Services
LEAF RECYCLING
The following takes effect for all leaf collections:
- All leaves must be placed in biodegradable brown paper bags.
- These bags can be purchased at the Public Works Department on Mondays – Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The bags are sold in bundles of 5 for a cost of $2.00. You can also purchase these bags from local retailers.
- NO leaves will be collected that are not contained in these biodegradable bags.
- Bagged leaves containing twigs, grass, brush, weeds or other debris will not be collected.
- Please place bagged leaves at the curb, not in the street, on the first day of each scheduled collection to insure you will not miss any of the collections.
- Leaves in biodegradable bags can be brought to the Public Works yard throughout the year.
The spring leaf collection will take place on April 1st and May 6th. The fall leaf collections will take place every Monday in November and December.
If you did not have bagged leaves at the curb in time for the collection, you may bring them to the Public Works yard at 207 Route 522.
Township Ordinance #198-20 prohibits the sweeping, raking, blowing or otherwise placing of grass or leaves into the street. Residents employing a lawn service should advise them accordingly.
Storm Damaged Trees: Storm damage is considered large limbs that have fallen due to a significant storm. For collection of such limbs, residents must then notify Public Works of their address to arrange for removal of the limbs within two (2) weeks of such a storm.
Dead Animals: Dead animals are removed from the street only – not private property. Domestic animals killed on the street are to be reported to the Health Department. Dead deer are removed by a hired service; all calls will be forwarded to the service for subsequent removal.
Additional Recycling Provisions: For the convenience of Manalapan Township residents, recycling facilities are available in the Public Works yard, located at 207 Route 522. Access to the facilities is made available Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Containers are available for newspaper, cardboard, co-mingled (cans, bottles, plastic), metal, electronics and used clothing.
How A Street Becomes Dedicated
When a developer builds the majority of the houses in a development, and has paved all of the streets in that development, he then requests of the Township to have the streets dedicated.
The Township in turn has their engineer inspect all of the new streets in the development to insure they meet the Township’s requirements and specifications for dedication. The engineer then creates a punch list of the items that must be addressed by the developer prior to dedication. The development must repair all of the items posted on the punch list before the Township will accept the streets for dedication.
Once of the items on the punch list have been addressed, the Township will make the decision to accept the dedication of the streets. After the dedication of the streets have been accepted, a deed of dedication is drawn up and sent to the Hall of Records in Freehold to be filed, which indicates by record that the Township now owns those particular streets.
State Stormwater Regulations
The State has recently passed new storm water regulations requiring ongoing maintenance of all storm sewers/catch basins. We ask that if you notice any debris lying on top of a storm sewer grate near your residence, to please clear it off or ask your landscaper to do so. This will help to alleviate any flooding issues during heavy Spring and Summer thunderstorms.
And remember, rain water washes pollutants into storm drains and discharges them into our streams and oceans! Do your part and prevent pollutants from entering our storm sewers. Here are a few suggestions:
- Follow the directions on your fertilizer bag, do not apply before it rains and use only when necessary. Use natural and slow-release nitrogen fertilizers when feasible. Consider using a mulching mower to reduce the need for fertilizer.
- Identify pest before spraying pesticides and use integrated pest management methods to minimize the use of chemicals on your lawn and in your garden. Use natural pesticides whenever possible. If chemical pesticides are required, use them sparingly and in targeted areas.
- Use drought-resistant native plants in gardens and beds. They require less fertilizer and water thereby reducing the amount of pollutant stormwater runoff getting to the storm sewers.
- Properly disposing of your pet’s waste by placing it in a bag and throwing it in a trash can or flushing it down the toilet. Animal waste contains coliform bacteria, which is harmful to our health.
- Recycle used oil at certified facilities and maintain your vehicle to prevent leaks.
- Take your car to a service center to change oil or antifreeze. If you do change your own fluids, do it in a garage so it’s not exposed to rainwater and NEVER discard oil, gas or antifreeze into storm sewers.
- Take your vehicle to a car wash where water gets treated and recycled.
- Pick up trash and litter on your property and put it in the trash. NEVER throw litter and debris directly into a storm sewer, including cigarette butts. Trash in the storm drains not only pollutes our waterways but storm drains clogged with trash can cause street flooding.
Please do your part to keep our waters clean! If you see trash in the street, on a storm grate or lying on the lawn please remember that it goes somewhere…our local creeks, streams, ponds, rivers and even the ocean!! Lend a hand, pick it up and reduce water pollution!!!
Protect our waters and protect our environment.
To learn more about how to reduce stormwater pollution please visit
or the any of the following websites:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/index.html
Detention basins throughout the Township are mowed on a bi-weekly schedule, weather permitting. If you notice an overgrown detention basin, please do not hesitate to contact the Public Works Department.