A public information session was recently held in regards to planned construction on Station Avenue in Haddon Heights [New Jersey]. The project, titled "Historic Rail Road Enhancement," is a construction plan to re-build much of the historic road. The plan calls for brand new lighting, walk ways, public benches, and new pavement.

Among those in attendance was Richard W. Lipko, who is a consulting engineer for a company called Pennoni Associates Incorporated. This is the architect group in charge of the design.

Lipko made the most of his time with residents as they raised various concerns about current plans.

"$250,000 of the funding is coming from a grant provided by the federal government and $100,000 from the state," he said. "We're not doing much with the railroad itself but for us to receive any kind of grant from the department of transportation; we needed to at least include it in the name of the project."

Lipko assured residents during the meeting that businesses can and will remain open during the construction period.

"The two month project will be done in stages. Only sections of the road will be worked on at any one time," he said. "This was a problem that was brought up three years ago when the public was made aware of the project proposal. When construction begins sometime this summer, detours will be made for those in need of access to their homes and businesses. Temporary paths and walk ways will also be put in place for those wanting admittance to the many coffee shops, food stores, retailers, and restaurant's that line the town's main road.

Haddon Heights is a small Southern New Jersey boro. Many of its residents are older living in homes purchased by their parents that now house their children and grandchildren.

"Some of these homes date back to the Revolutionary War," said Greg McAdams. McAdams has lived in Haddon Heights since 1940. He claims to have seen many changes since, but believes they were all to improve the area as the times changed.

"This is more of a preservation of our town rather than a renovation," he said. "They're not going to change much - just fix some cracks in the road and elevate some of the warped sidewalk."

This project is phase two of the "Station Avenue Street Scape" project - one in which the same type of exterior renovations were made. Now that 5th and 6th streets have been worked on, 7th and 8th streets will see construction, officials said.

Before roadwork can begin and plans are set, the idea must be reviewed by town council and the mayor's office. Once that is done, a series of routine public meetings will be scheduled to hear further concerns.

This process can be done over and over and if council proves to be unsatisfied with Pennoni's Plans, according to officials.