Old bridges, new funds advance Route 17 bottleneck improvement plan
Plans to improve the gridlocked Route 17 bottleneck that affects Paramus, Rochelle Park and Maywood are progressing to the next phase, with more funding on the way.
In the last 20 years, this is the most any plan to improve the trouble area has advanced. The stretch of highway is used by thousands of motorists on a daily basis and tractor-trailers that carry billions of dollars in commerce each year.
New funding, combined with the fact that bridges in the area are nearing the century mark in age and need significant repairs, has helped the plan advance to this stage.
The goal is to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce the accidents and air pollution on Route 17 in the area of Maywood, Rochelle Park and Lodi and on the southbound side in Paramus near the Farview Avenue exit, right before Route 4.
“The wheels are in motion, and we are definitely moving forward,” Bergen County Engineer Joe Femia said.
Proposed Route 17 improvements
Improvements called for in the latest plan include:
- An additional (third) travel lane with a 12-foot-wide outside shoulder and a 3-foot minimum inside shoulder in both directions.
- Replacement of six bridges with four new bridges and more than a mile of retaining walls.
- A new Route 17 southbound exit ramp to Central Avenue.
- Modified Route 17 northbound exit and entrance ramps at Mildred Avenue.
- A new signalized intersection at Farview Avenue and the Route 17 southbound exit and entrance ramps.
- A new signalized intersection at Passaic Street and the Route 17 northbound exit ramp.
- Complex utility relocations including gas, electric and communications.
- New stormwater management basins.
- Local street connectivity improvements.
The public had its first chance to view plans and offer input earlier this year. During the three weeks when the public was able to watch a 20-minute presentation and offer input, there were 3,400 unique visitors to the website, said Derek Sands, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco’s deputy chief of staff.
“The majority of comments saw it as a critical piece of infrastructure not just for Bergen County but the entire northern region and beyond,” Sands said. “Some property owners along the highway expressed some issues.”
The county first tried to tackle the issue in 2006, when a local concept development study was ordered to be funded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
In 2012, the final study was submitted for review, but it lay dormant for years and was never formally reviewed or approved by the department.
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The county has passed those previous markers and is headed to the preliminary engineering phase.
County Executive James Tedesco has previously said the county will continue to focus and make the bottleneck project a priority.
“This is the furthest this project has ever gone,” Sands said.
Earlier this month, the Bergen County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to advance the Route 17 bottleneck project to the preliminary engineering phase, which will be led by Transportation Department capital projects management.
During the preliminary engineering phase, additional data is collected in the field. Surveys, soil samples at the bridge locations, and updated traffic counts will all need to be done.
“At the end, we will come out with a well-defined roadway geometry that meets roadway standards,” said Femia, the county engineer.
After the preliminary stage will come a final engineering phase, in which a full set of plans with specifics to prepare for public bidding to advance to the construction phase will take place.
Funding
The county received an $870,000 grant from the state to freshen up the study last year to move forward on the highway improvements.
Regional projects like this need to be included in the transportation improvement plan done with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the state’s transportation improvement plan.
There is funding through the end of 2024 on the state level, Femia said. There is almost $11 million in state funding for the preliminary engineering phase to push the project forward.
The state Transportation Improvement Program has allocated $338.5 million for the project, which will be voted on at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s meeting on Sept. 12, said Peter Botsolas, senior adviser to the county executive.
Safety and health concerns
Officials are also optimistic that there will be traction this time because of the condition of the five bridges along the highway that are nearing the end of their lifespan.
The five bridges along Route 17 in the study area are the Susquehanna Railroad spur, Susquehanna Railroad, Central Avenue, Passaic Street and Pleasant Avenue.
An analysis from 2017 to 2019 found that there were 899 crashes in this section of the Route 17 bottleneck project. That’s about one crash per day, requiring continuous emergency responses, and is greater than the statewide average for similar roadways.
To improve traffic and safety, a third lane will be added in each direction with standard width inside and with outside shoulders provided where feasible. Standard acceleration and deceleration lanes will be provided for ramp connections at Passaic Street, Pleasant Avenue and Farview Avenue. There will be new Route 17 bridges over the NYS&W Railroad, Central Avenue, Passaic Street and Pleasant Avenue.
“Most of the roadway lacks a shoulder, so when there’s an accident it closes that entire lane to traffic and sometimes both lanes,” Sands said.
It will also improve the quality of life for the neighboring towns, Botsolas said, especially the air quality.
“At the end of the day, this is the largest quality-of-life project,” Botsolas said. “Everyone’s quality of life will go up, and it will restore the balance of moving people and goods throughout the region.”
