Irene: Township Holding Special Pick-Up for Debris

Almost all roads are open in Bridgewater at this point, although many residents around town are still without power, according to Bridgewater Township Mayor Patricia Flannery.

As of about 4 p.m., only two roads were still closed because of downed trees—Papen and Gilbride roads—and only three were closed due to flooding, among them two cul-de-sacs and Shepherd Avenue heading in to Middlesex.

"So there are no roads to impact people moving around," Flannery said. "And it is not bad on the roads, but drivers should still be cautious. We are still concerned with trees coming down because the ground is wet."

Loss of power is the other major issue in town, Flannery said, with reports from that it will be restored in as little as 48 hours, or as much as five days. And some of the homes without power, she said, rely on wells, so they are without water as well.

"We do have 125 cases of water available at the for those who need it," she said. "It's free."

And the American Water Company, located in Bridgewater, has assured the township that there is no "boil water" advisory, and they don't anticipate instituting one.

Still, as for power Flannery said, much of Martinsville through the town to the southeast of Bradley Gardens is out of power.

"It's scattered all over," she said. "Random businesses are shut down because some are without power, but it's absolutely random."

Flannery said there is a concentration of power outages on the east end of Washington Valley Road in the Martinsville business district especially. And places like , on Old York Road, are closed for now as well.

But the power outages and flooding in buildings is random throughout the township as some residents are also dealing with flooding in their basements.

Flannery said there are power crews from PSE&G working on the lines today, but residents should not expect that power will automatically be restored today.

"If you see them working on the lines and then they leave and nothing is done, it's because today they are going around to assess what the problems are and what equipment is needed to make the repairs," she said. "Don't be alarmed if the power is not back."

Aside from power and flooding issues, Flannery said, the township is working on clearing debris out of the roads. The Department of Public Works will be taking care of removing trees and other debris from the roads themselves.

But for debris and damaged items on private properties, Flannery said, residents will have to take care of clearing that themselves.

And Bridgewater Township is assisting by having a bulky trash drop-off at Bridgewater Resources on Polhemus Lane Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is free for Bridgewater residents for storm-damaged materials, Flannery said.

"They will not be accepting electronics because that has to go to the county disposal site," she said.

Those electronic items can be dropped off at the Somerset County Recycling Center on Polhemus Lane Sept. 10.

Flannery said that those residents bringing items to the Bridgewater Resources site must have proof of residency.

The township's yard waste site on Foothill Road will also have extended hours Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for disposing of debris, like branches, that has fallen on private properties.

"And for yard waste, we're going to do curbside pickup starting Wednesday," Flannery said. "It's going to be pick-up based on areas of the town, but everyone should put trash out immediately. Branches should be no bigger than 5 feet long."