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Bernards Roads and Paving, Explained: The Rejected 2026 Bids, the Lake Road Project and Who Fixes Which Road
Why the township rejected every bid for its 2026 paving program twice, what the Lake Road project includes and when it is due, the 2025 road contract and its change orders, state aid, paths, the October 2026 parking and stopping ordinances, and which roads belong to Somerset County.
The short version
- No 2026 paving contract. All bids for the 2026 Road Improvements program were rejected on Aug. 25 and again on Sept. 29, 2026, as over the amount allocated. The Sept. 29 resolution cites record diesel and asphalt prices.
- Lake Road is under construction: a new path from South Finley Avenue to Mt. Airy Road and full repaving, $1,410,317.80, due Nov. 10, 2026.
- County roads are the county’s. Any road with a 500- or 600-series route number is a Somerset County road.
The 2026 paving program: rejected twice
| Bid opening | Bids | Lowest | Highest | Committee action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 5, 2026 | 7 | Reivax Contracting Corp., $2,098,774.00 | Kyle Conti Construction Corp., $3,333,333.33 | Rejected Aug. 25 (Res. #2026-0383), “to be rebid in 2026” |
| Sept. 9, 2026 | 5 | Reivax Contracting Corp., $2,284,399.60 | Top Line Construction Corp., $2,493,193.16 | Rejected Sept. 29 (Res. #2026-0409), to be rebid “at a future date when bidding can be optimized” |
Both rejections were on the joint recommendation of the Township Engineer, Administrator and Purchasing Agent under N.J.S.A. 40A:11-13.2(b), “since the bid exceeds the amount allocated for this project,” and both passed 4-0 on the consent agenda (Asay, Hodges, Tompkins, Duarte McCarthy; McNally absent). The Sept. 29 resolution adds: “diesel and asphalt prices have hit record highs.” The Mayor’s October newsletter: “Due to the impact of record high diesel fuel prices on various bid items including asphalt, bids were rejected.”
New Jersey Hills Media reported in October 2026 that Administrator Pat Monaco said the work “won’t get done this year,” and that Township Engineer Thomas Timko said diesel prices pushed the cost $200,000 over the $2 million budget, that 15 streets were in the bid, and that the township would look to rebid next spring. Which streets are in the program is not in the minutes; LocalWhy has not reviewed the bid documents.
The money comes from Capital Ordinance #2597, adopted May 12, 2026, 5-0 with no hearing comment. Its item A is $2,825,000 for “Engineering Improvement Projects including but not limited to Roadway Management and Reconstruction, Sidewalk and Drainage Improvements, and Pedestrian Bridges & Paths”; item C is $635,000 for DPW road repairs, guiderails and drainage.
Lake Road
What it is. The township’s project page describes it: replace, upgrade and extend the pedestrian path on the north side of Lake Road from South Finley Avenue to Mt. Airy Road; remove or replace retaining walls and build new ones; bring pedestrian ramps to ADA standards; add curbing “to assist with grading and stormwater runoff”; then mill, pave and re-stripe all of Lake Road and topsoil and seed disturbed areas.
The contract. Three bids were opened Oct. 9, 2025: DLS Contracting Inc. (Fairfield) $1,410,317.80, Top Line Construction Corp. $1,534,266.38, Portofino Builders LLC $1,738,301.50. The Committee awarded it to DLS on Oct. 28, 2025 (Res. #2025-0375), 3-0 (Duarte McCarthy, McNally, Tancredi; Asay and Fields absent). Funding: the FY2024 NJDOT Municipal Aid grant, $269,768.00, and Capital Ordinance #2556, $1,140,549.80.
The schedule. The notice to proceed was issued June 22, 2026, with completion due Oct. 20. On Sept. 29 the Committee extended completion three weeks to Nov. 10, 2026, “at no additional cost,” because “unforeseen utility relocations have caused delays” (Res. #2026-0408, 4-0).
Progress (township update, Oct. 20, 2026). Curbing and concrete sidewalk replacement were complete throughout, as were retaining walls east of Culberson Road. The path’s stone base was laid from South Finley to Mt. Airy except one section with a utility conflict and a retaining wall near Kinnan Way. Path paving, final grading, topsoil and seeding “will be followed by a full week of milling and paving.” Lane closures move with the crews, with eastbound traffic open in the morning for school traffic.
The 2025 road contract (Reivax)
| Step | Change | Contract total |
|---|---|---|
| Award (Res. #2025-0297) | — | $1,443,110.00 |
| Change order #1 (Res. #2025-0374) | +$15,521.18 | $1,458,631.18 |
| Change order #2 (Res. #2026-0141, Jan. 13, 2026, 4-0) | +$2,000.16 | $1,460,631.34 |
| Change order #3 (Res. #2026-0356, July 28, 2026, 5-0) | +$31,701.57 | $1,492,332.91 |
| Change order #4 and final (Res. #2026-0427, on the Oct. 27, 2026 agenda) | −$122,459.61 (net −$73,236.70 for all four) | $1,369,873.30 |
The July 28 resolution prints change order #3 as 2.61% in its title; the Oct. 27 agenda’s table prints it as 2.20%. The township had not posted minutes of the Oct. 27 meeting as of Nov. 1, 2026, so the outcome of Res. #2026-0427 is not yet in the record.
On April 14, 2026 the Committee met in closed session on “Attorney-client privilege - Potential Litigation - Reivax Road Improvements Contract.” Nothing more about it is public in the minutes, and no court filing has been found.
Other contracts and grants
| Date | Item | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 9, 2025 | Somerville Road path improvements accepted as complete (Res. #2025-0421) | 4-0 (Fields absent) |
| Jan. 27, 2026 | Rock salt, Atlantic Salt Inc., up to $350,000 (Somerset County co-op) | 5-0 |
| Feb. 24, 2026 | Rock salt, $150,000 more | 5-0 |
| March 10, 2026 | Pavement condition assessment, Advanced Infrastructure Design (Res. #2026-0199): the title says up to $62,976.48; the body and the CFO’s certification say $63,976.48 | 4-0 (Tompkins absent) |
| April 14, 2026 | DPW road repairs, Renda Roads, Inc., up to $1,025,000.00 at 2024 bid unit prices (Res. #2026-0241): $450,000 from Capital Ordinances #2556, #2579 and #2499, plus $500,000 DPW and $75,000 Parks capital to be budgeted in 2026 | 4-0 (Asay absent) |
| July 14, 2026 | NJDOT application, Fairview Drive South (Queen Anne Drive to Mt. Airy Road), all of Wayne Terrace, and Concord Lane, 1.06 miles, estimate and request $1,447,960.00 (Res. #2026-0329). Award not yet known | 5-0 |
| July 28, 2026 | Renda change order #1, +$79,952.87 (7.80%), to $1,104,952.87 (Res. #2026-0355) | 5-0 |
| Oct. 27, 2026 (agenda) | Snow removal at municipal facilities, Research and Design Landscape LLC (Res. #2026-0430); outcome not yet in posted minutes | — |
Mountain Road path. NJDOT’s FY2026 Municipal Aid list (Nov. 13, 2025) awards Bernards $203,382 for the “Mountain Road Pedestrian Path” (Pedestrian Safety category). The Mayor’s October newsletter says the project, a six-foot stone path along the Mountain Road frontage of Mountain Park from Martinsville Road to Long Road, “is awaiting approval from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.”
Parking and stopping ordinances, Oct. 13, 2026
Both adopted 5-0 (Asay, Hodges, McNally, Tompkins, Duarte McCarthy):
- Ord. #2606: no stopping or standing, both sides, on the east-west segment of Peachtree Road (cul-de-sac to the north-south segment) and on Woodstone Road (Peachtree Road to Winding Lane), 8:00–9:30 a.m. and 2:30–4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday when school is in session. No one spoke at the hearing.
- Ord. #2607: no parking on Church Street for 450 feet on the north side and 480 feet on the south side east of the west property corner of the Liberty Corner Firehouse. One resident, Todd Edelstein, spoke in support and to clarify the location.
Who owns which road
Somerset County’s route list for Bernards includes CR 512 (Liberty Corner Road, Church Street, Valley Road), CR 525 (Martinsville–Liberty Corner Road, Mount Airy Road), CR 613 (Stonehouse Road, South and North Finley Avenue), CR 624 (West and East Oak Street), CR 640 (Lyons Road, South Finley Avenue), CR 651 (King George Road), CR 652 (Allen Road) and CR 657 (South Maple Avenue). Work and safety changes on those roads are the county’s; see Allen Road safety.
Valley Road bridge. The county’s project to replace the Valley Road (CR 512) bridge over the Passaic River, between Bernards and Long Hill, is in preliminary engineering; a public information center was held May 6, 2026, with written comments taken through June 6 (county project page).
What residents raised
The minutes record these road subjects at public comment: repaving Douglas Road (Nancy D’Andrea, Dec. 9, 2025 and April 14, 2026); snow on sidewalks (Feb. 10, 2026) and residents’ duty to clear snow from sidewalks and hydrants (Feb. 24); curbing in a Fieldstone Drive resident’s neighborhood (May 26); downtown parking (Nov. 25, 2025); street lights (Dec. 23, 2025); and overnight parking enforcement (Oct. 13, 2026).
What is not known
- When the 2026 paving program will be rebid and which streets it covers.
- Whether Lake Road met its Nov. 10, 2026 completion date.
- Whether NJDOT funds the Fairview Drive South application.
- What the potential Reivax litigation concerns.
What residents can do
- Speak at public comment at Township Committee meetings (Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 2026), where a rebid award or Lake Road close-out would be voted on.
- Drive carefully on Lake Road while lanes are closed.
- Report county-road problems to Somerset County’s Engineering Division.