Roads and utilities

Orchard Road reconstruction and sidewalks

The township is designing a rebuild of about one mile of Orchard Road, the street, from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road, with a sidewalk and shared bicycle markings, funded in part by state Municipal Aid grants ($537,522 so far). The design includes right-of-way acquisition. Not related to the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

In design; Phase 3 grant pending Last moved

What happens next

NJDOT is expected to announce fiscal 2027 Municipal Aid awards, including any Phase 3 grant, in November 2026. No construction date has been announced.

This is a road project on Orchard Road between Community Drive and Burnt Hill Road. The plan adds a sidewalk, crosswalk upgrades and shared bicycle markings. It is unrelated to the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment.

It continues a first phase built in 2023, from Community Drive east to Route 206, paid for with a $379,500 state grant. The rest is designed as one project but funded in state Municipal Aid segments: Phase 2, Community Drive to Opossum Road, received $537,522 in November 2025; Phase 3, Opossum Road to Lilac Way, was applied for in July 2026; Phase 4, Lilac Way to Burnt Hill Road, is anticipated in 2028.

On August 20, 2026 the Township Committee hired Menlo Engineering Associates for up to $379,165 to design it, including “right-of-way acquisition” support. The scope has narrowed: the 2025 grant application and a March 2026 presentation spoke of “widening,” while the design contract says the road will keep “generally” its existing width, and the bicycle work is now shared-lane markings rather than a dedicated lane.

The township held an open house on October 5, 2026. The total cost, the township’s share, which front yards would be affected, and the construction schedule have not been made public. Questions go to the Township Engineer’s office.

Orchard Road, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Resolved Orchard Road, Phase 1: $458,771 contract for the first half-mile of sidewalk by the Municipal CenterThe Township Committee awarded the "Orchard Road Improvements" contract to DeSantis Construction, the lowest of ten bidders at $458,771.39. A $379,500 state Municipal Aid grant from fiscal 2022 paid part of it. This first phase covered Orchard Road, the street, from Community Drive to Route 206. It has nothing to do with the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment.
  2. Resolved Orchard Road, Phase 1 opens: sidewalk and bike-lane striping from Community Drive to Route 206Township officials cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Orchard Road work. It added a sidewalk from Community Drive, at the Municipal Center, to Route 206 and Bridgepoint Road, plus a crosswalk to Autumn Lane, a resurfaced road and bicycle-lane striping. The Montgomery News reported that the state grant covered "nearly 80 percent" of the cost.
  3. Resolved Orchard Road: feasibility study begins for a one-mile link from the Municipal Center to the schoolsTownship staff told the Committee that a feasibility study had begun in February 2025 for about one mile of Orchard Road, the street, from the Municipal Center west toward the public schools. Survey crews were measuring the existing right of way to see where sidewalks and bike lanes could fit and "where we'll need ... property acquisition."
  4. Resolved Orchard Road, Phase 2: township applies for a state grant to rebuild and widen Community Drive to Opossum RoadThe Township Committee voted 5-0 to apply for NJDOT Municipal Aid for "Orchard Road Phase 2 Reconstruction, Widening, Pedestrian Route Extension and Bicycle Lanes." The segment ran from Community Drive to Opossum Road. On the video, staff said the township was applying for "about $1.4 million" and would seek two or three more grants to reach Burnt Hill Road.
  5. Resolved Orchard Road, Phase 2: state awards $537,522NJDOT's fiscal 2026 Municipal Aid list gave Montgomery $537,522 for "Orchard Road Phase 2: Reconstruction, Widening, Pedestrian Route and Bicycle Lanes Extension," classed as a pedestrian safety project. Staff had described the request as about $1.4 million. The grant is paid as a reimbursement, mostly once a construction contract is awarded.
  6. Resolved Orchard Road plan presented: south-side sidewalk to Burnt Hill Road, in three grant-funded segmentsTownship staff presented the plan for Orchard Road, the street, to the Township Committee. It called for a sidewalk on the south side from the Municipal Center to Burnt Hill Road, crosswalk upgrades, a bike lane or shared lane, and "road reconstruction and widening." It would be built in three segments, each with its own state grant. The cost slide was not posted, and staff said the gap between grants and cost could not yet be determined.
  7. Pending Orchard Road, Phase 3: grant application for Opossum Road to Lilac Way, with a scaled-back scopeThe Township Committee authorized a state Municipal Aid application for Orchard Road Phase 3, from Opossum Road to Lilac Way. Unlike Phase 2, the resolution does not mention widening and describes "shared-use lane" bicycle markings instead of bike lanes. Staff said, "We scaled back the full scope of the project." The state's fiscal 2027 awards are expected in November 2026.
  8. Active Orchard Road: $379,165 design contract, including right-of-way acquisition supportThe Township Committee hired Menlo Engineering Associates, for up to $379,165, to design one continuous project for Orchard Road, the street, from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road. The contract covers surveying, right-of-way acquisition support, permitting, grant help and bid documents. The resolution says the road will keep "generally" its existing width, and it lists "right-of-way acquisition" in the project scope.
  9. Active Orchard Road, the street: a mile of reconstruction and new sidewalks, Community Drive to Burnt Hill RoadThe township held an open house on its plan to rebuild about one mile of Orchard Road, from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road, with new sidewalks and bicycle markings, paid for in phases with state Municipal Aid grants. Design is under way, and the work may need some right-of-way acquisition. This is a road project. It has nothing to do with the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment.

Explainers

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

    Montgomery is designing a rebuild of about one mile of Orchard Road, with a new sidewalk on the south side and shared bicycle markings, from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road. It would be paid for in part by three state grants, one of which has been awarded so far ($537,522). The design contract includes right-of-way acquisition. The total cost and the township's share have not been made public. This project is unrelated to the 23 Orchard Road redevelopment.

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Meetings

  • Township Committee — March 5, 2026

    The Township Committee adopted every implementing piece of the amended Fourth Round housing framework — the rewritten Chapter 15 ordinance, the amended spending plan, the administrative agent and the affirmative marketing plan — all 5-0. The township attorney reported that Program Judge Miller had found no consensus among the objectors and had recommended a fairness hearing before any order issues, and that the Planning Board hearing on the plan itself, snowed out in February, was reset to March 9.

Sources for this overview

  1. Township Committee minutes, August 20, 2026 (Res. #26-8-223, design contract)
  2. NJDOT FY2026 Municipal Aid grant awards
  3. Township Committee minutes, July 16, 2026 (Res. #26-7-207, Phase 3 application)
  4. Township Committee minutes, January 19, 2023 (Phase 1 contract)
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