Orchard Road, the Street: What the Township Plans from the Municipal Center to Burnt Hill Road

Two things called “Orchard Road”

This page is about Orchard Road, the street. It runs west from Route 206, past the Municipal Center and library, Rock Brook School and Orchard Hill Elementary School, to Burnt Hill Road.

It is not about the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment, which concerns a vacant office property that the township has designated an area in need of redevelopment. The two share a name and nothing else.

What the township plans

The project’s official name is the “Orchard Road Phases 2 - 4 Reconstruction, Pedestrian Route and Bicycle Lanes Extension Project.” The August 20, 2026 design contract (Resolution #26-8-223) describes it as:

• reconstruction of “approximately one (1) mile of Orchard Road” between Community Drive (the Municipal Center entrance) and Burnt Hill Road, “while generally maintaining the existing roadway width and horizontal alignment”;
• “pedestrian and bicycle facilities,” with “stormwater management, drainage infrastructure repairs, safety enhancements, ADA provisions, right-of-way acquisition, utility work, traffic signage, pavement markings, and other improvements.”

The pieces shown to the Committee and the public are:

• a sidewalk on the south side of the road;
• a sidewalk in front of Orchard Hill Elementary School;
• an improved crossing at Autumn Lane;
• high-visibility crosswalks;
• shared bicycle markings on the road, not a separate bike lane.

A township GIS map shows the proposed sidewalk running from the Municipal Center, past Opossum Road and Rock Brook School, to Burnt Hill Road at Orchard Hill Elementary.

Why the south side. At the March 5, 2026 presentation, staff said the north side has “environmental constraints,” including “two ponds.” They added that a county bridge replacement just to the west had already put a sidewalk on the south side (uncorrected captions).

How it got here

Phase 1, built 2023. The first half-mile ran east from Community Drive to Route 206 and across to Bridgepoint Road, with a crosswalk to Autumn Lane, resurfacing and bike-lane striping. The state gave $379,500 in fiscal 2022 Municipal Aid. On January 19, 2023 the Committee awarded the construction contract to DeSantis Construction, the lowest of ten bidders at $458,771.39. The Montgomery News reported the ribbon cutting in August 2023.

Feasibility study, 2025. On March 6, 2025, staff told the Committee that a feasibility study had begun in February for “about one-mile connections” from the Municipal Center to the public schools. They said survey crews were measuring “the existing right of way” to see “where we’ll need, you know, property acquisition” (uncorrected captions). By March 2026 the study was “complete.” It has not been posted, and the minutes do not name who prepared it.

Phase 2 application, July 3, 2025. The Committee voted 5-0 (Resolution #25-7-232) to apply for “Orchard Road Phase 2 Reconstruction, Widening, Pedestrian Route Extension and Bicycle Lanes.” Staff said the segment was “Orchard to Opossum Road” and the request was “about $1.4 million” (uncorrected captions).

Phase 2 award, November 2025. The state’s fiscal 2026 list gave Montgomery $537,522.

The March 5, 2026 plan. Staff presented the full corridor in three segments: Community Drive to Opossum Road, Opossum Road to Lilac Way, and Lilac Way to Burnt Hill Road. The minutes list “Proposed road reconstruction and widening,” “feasibility study complete,” and as next steps a “land survey of project areas” and a “public information session.” Funding was listed as “2026-2028 Engineering Department capital budget requests” plus the state grant, with “2027 and 2028 to be determined.”

Phase 3 application, July 16, 2026. Resolution #26-7-207 applied for Opossum Road to Lilac Way. The work is now “shared-use lane bicycle accommodations,” and widening is not mentioned. Staff said: “I don’t think it’ll be a dedicated lane because we scaled back the full scope of the project” (uncorrected captions). The vote was 4-0. Committee Member Herring, appointed that night, abstained on every item at that meeting.

Design contract, August 20, 2026. The Committee voted 4-0 to hire Menlo Engineering Associates for up to $379,165. The contract covers engineering, surveying, right-of-way acquisition support, permitting, grant help and bid documents for one continuous design. The township left out Menlo’s $24,000 construction-phase task.

Open house, October 5, 2026. The Engineering Department held a drop-in session from 4 to 7 p.m. Headline News Montgomery reported that survey crews would work “within the front-yard areas of adjacent properties” and that “additional public meetings will be held as the design progresses.”

How the money works

The NJDOT Municipal Aid program splits state money among counties, and towns compete within their county. The fiscal 2026 round gave out $150 million, and every one of the 537 towns that applied got something. Montgomery’s grants have been a few hundred thousand dollars each.

According to the program handbook and NJDOT:

• the state pays 75 percent when the town awards a construction contract and 25 percent when the work is done, so the town pays first and is reimbursed;
• the construction contract “must be awarded by the municipality within 24 Months from the date of grant notification”;
• engineering and right-of-way costs are generally not eligible, apart from up to five percent of the grant for design. That means most of the $379,165 design contract is township money. The resolution charges it to an operating account and three capital accounts.

Why phases. Staff told the Committee that applying segment by segment “increases the percentage of funding.” They also said building all at once would usually cost less in total, since the contractor would not be “mobilizing three times” (March 5, 2026, uncorrected captions). The design is one continuous set of plans, divided by grant year: Phase 2 (2026 award), Phase 3 (2027) and Phase 4 (2028).

The “$3.5 million.” A March 5, 2026 township news post said the township “has received $3.5 million in state grant funding” for sidewalk projects. That figure combines a $3 million state grant for a separate path along Route 206 to Village Drive with the $537,522 for Orchard Road.

What the record shows

Date	Record	What it says
Fiscal 2022	NJDOT award list	$379,500, “Orchard Road Improvements” (Phase 1)
Jan 19, 2023	Res. #23-1-53	Phase 1 built by DeSantis Construction, $458,771.39
Mar 6, 2025	Minutes, video	Feasibility study kickoff, February 2025
Jul 3, 2025	Res. #25-7-232	Phase 2 application: “reconstruction, widening … bicycle lanes”
Nov 17, 2025	NJDOT award list	Phase 2 awarded $537,522
Mar 5, 2026	Minutes, video	Three segments; south-side sidewalk; “widening”; gap unknown
Jul 16, 2026	Res. #26-7-207	Phase 3 application: “shared-use lane” bicycle markings
Aug 20, 2026	Res. #26-8-223	Menlo design contract, $379,165; “generally maintaining the existing roadway width”; “right-of-way acquisition”
Oct 5, 2026	Open house	Preliminary plans shown; survey work in front yards

What is not known

• The total cost. Staff showed a cost slide on March 5, 2026, covering design, construction, utility relocation and property acquisition. Its figures are not in the minutes or posted online. Asked about the gap between grants and cost, staff said it was “difficult to determine because we’ve obtained one grant so far.”
• The township’s share and how it will be paid for: capital budget, borrowing, or both.
• Which properties would give up land for right of way, how much, and whether by purchase, easement or another means. No acquisition has come before the Committee.
• What was dropped. The 2025 application and the March 2026 presentation both said “widening.” The contract now says the road will keep “generally” its existing width.
• Whether Phase 3 is funded. The state’s fiscal 2027 awards are expected in November 2026. Phase 4, which includes the Orchard Hill Elementary frontage, has not been applied for.
• When construction starts, and how traffic would be handled near three schools.
• Trees, driveways and utility poles along the south side. The record does not address them.
• What residents said on October 5. No account has been published, and the plans shown that day are not online.

What residents can do

• Ask the Engineering Department. Headline News Montgomery reports that questions go to Township Engineer Mark Herrmann at 908-213-5901. The township recommends booking an appointment before visiting the engineering office.
• If you live on the corridor, expect survey crews along the road and in front yards. Ask whether your lot is in the proposed right of way and what the township would need from it.
• Watch for the next public meeting. The township has said more meetings will be held as the design progresses. Committee members have pointed residents to the township’s Nixle alerts for updates.
• Watch the Township Committee agendas for any ordinance or resolution to acquire land or easements on Orchard Road, for a construction bid award (which triggers the state’s 75 percent payment), and for capital funding for the project. Public comment is open at every regular meeting.
• Check the state’s fiscal 2027 Municipal Aid list in November 2026 for “Orchard Road Phase 3.”
• Request records from the Township Clerk under the Open Public Records Act. The design resolution says Menlo’s proposal and contract are “available for public inspection.” Also useful: the feasibility study, the March 5, 2026 slides with the cost estimate, the state grant applications (MA-2026-…-00514 and MA-2027-…-00594), and the October 5 display boards.