With the arrival of warm weather, the township has begun work that involves about 13 miles as part of its road maintenance program.
The initial upgrades are in the Erlton and Kingston neighborhoods, with others to follow. The work is costing the township $7 million from its capital funds, depending on its choice of contractors.
Roads are assessed by township engineers to determine those most in need of repairs in a process that also takes into account complaints from the community. The work in its entirety will take about 10 years.
Brian Bauerle, the township business administrator, said that each year, township crews work on roads with a timeline based on those that need the most attention.
“It’s a capital plan,” he explained. “We have a rolling plan, so year to year each year, we do more roads … And we’ll get to all the roads over the next couple of years.”
The road maintenance program also makes ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliance improvements and additions, such as cross walks and curb cuts, the latter being a street corner where the curb dips down to allow for wheelchair access.
Bauerle acknowledged that the program takes into account resident concerns and how to address them.
“It would be mainly from our assessment in a way based upon what we’re looking at and our needs,” he pointed out. “But we take residents complaints and concerns. I would say resident concerns. And we take a look at them. And as we evaluate, we look at the complaints and concerns that we may get in different neighborhoods and evaluate as well.”
Potholes are a common complaint; so far, the township has filled more than 238 of them. The work in Erlton and Kingston will be done by the end of the summer.
Mayor Dave Fleisher said in a statement that township road crews have accomplished a lot of work since he took office in 2024.
“Township council and I have listened to our residents, and we are making real progress,” he noted. “Over 47 miles of township roads have been paved since January 2024, with more to come.”
There are about 255 miles of roads that belong to Cherry Hill, including Church, Springdale and Kresson roads and Grove Street. State-owned roads – including Brace, Marlton Pike and Route 38 – aren’t part of the township’s maintenance program.
