November 6, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 Mahwah Contract for curb ramp project receives approval by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has approved a $7,500 contract with Boswell McClave Engineering to provide the design engi- neering services for the construction of curb ramps in the township. Michael Kelly, the township’s profes- sional engineer, recently advised the coun- cil that Bergen County plans to construct Americans with Disability Act compliant curb ramps on several township roads next year and will reimburse Mahwah for all design, construction, and inspection costs. According to Kelly, plans call for the installation of ramps on Island Road, East Ramapo Avenue, and West Ramapo Avenue, all of which are county roads. A contractor has been selected. He explained that the county plans to install 60 ADA compliant ramps at 23 loca- tions on those roads in the spring of 2014, and will repave those roads next summer. Council President Harry Williams pointed out that those roads are heavily trav- eled and he voiced concern that the work might be disruptive if it is done during the time the township’s schools are in session. Kelly said the police would provide traf- fic direction during that time, and the ramp project should not disrupt traffic or cause more than a minor inconvenience. He said the paving will be done in the summer when school is not in session. Curb ramps are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because it is often difficult or impossible for a person using a wheelchair, scooter, walker, or other mobility device to cross a street if the sidewalk on either side of the street ends without a curb ramp. The act points out that, if ramps are not provided, those individuals are forced to make diffi- cult choices. They can stay home, or they can risk their safety by using their wheel- chairs, scooters, or walkers to travel along- side cars and other vehicles in the streets. According to the ADA, curb ramps must be provided wherever a sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway crosses a curb. Ramps must be placed to enable a person with a mobility disability to travel from a sidewalk on one side of the street, over or through any curbs or traffic islands, to the sidewalk on the other side. The act points out that walkways include areas where people must walk to access bus stops and other public transportation stops, so, where necessary, curb ramps must be provided to enable people with disabilities to board and exit public transportation. A curb ramp is a short ramp cutting through a curb or built up to it. If designed and constructed to be accessible, a curb ramp provides an accessible route that people with disabilities can use to safely transition from a roadway to a curbed side- walk and vice versa.