Dig They Must on Route 35

Wondering what all the digging is for several days in a row on St. Georges Ave? Back hoes, a police car, and tons of dirt have been dug up, closing the right lane on the northbound side of St. Georges Ave. (Route 35) by the railroad tracks in Woodbridge near the . 

So what's going on?

According to the NJ Dept. of Transportation (NJDOT), it's just routine replacement of a gas main.

"This kind of work has been going on in the area for the last year and a half," said NJDOT spokesman Tim Greeley. Route 35 is a state road, and falls under NJDOT's jurisdiction.

The work is expected to be wrapped up within the next week or two, he added, so be prepared for a few more days of roadway delays.

Elizabethtown Gas is responsible for the main replacement, which has been farmed out to subcontractors. Duane Bourne, spokesman for the gas company, said he wasn't certain how old the gas mains were that were being replaced, but that the repair work is part of the company's efforts to upgrade its aging cast iron gas pipes.

"A lot of those pipelines are older. We're taking a proactive approach to pipeline replacement in Woodbridge," Bourne said.

The gas company applied for and received a utility opening permit to dig up the roadway. In turn, they're allowed to close one lane at a time, and they must keep one lane open in each direction, Greeley said.

In case you were wondering why they don't do this at night when there's no traffic, it's part of DOT's procedure that the work has to be done between 9 am to 3:30 pm weekdays.