Passaic County will sync up 71 traffic lights in five towns
By: Philip DeVencentis
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Nearly six dozen traffic lights along a major stretch of roads in Passaic County will be retimed to better sync up across municipal borders.
.....
The project will cover 19 miles and cut through 71 signalized intersections form the southern tip of Clifton to the western edge of Pomptom Lakes, where the borough touches the Morris county line.
..... It spans one continuous route, but the county roads change names along the corridor. In Passaic, it is Main Avenue. Farther north in Wayne, motorists know it as Hamburg Turnpike.
..... About a third of the affected traffic lights hang over Main Street and West Broadway in Paterson.
..... To retime so many signals at once is no ease feat, but engineers overseeing the project said the result will be clearer air and a much smoother traffic flow.
..... "It's something that will absolutely benefit a significant portion of the county," said Nordan Murphy, the assistant county engineer.
..... However, some intersections require a lot of careful scrutiny.
..... The corridor includes a particularly busy one at Highland and Main avenues in Passaic where children often walk to school.
..... Last week, [08/14/2024] Murphy and a team of consultants representing Colliers Engineering & Design talked about how the project will address such issues during an Online meeting - one of two public sessions that the county hosted this month.
..... The engineering firm based in Holmdel is begin paid $486,000 for its consultation on the project, though Murphy said the whole thing will be covered by a grant. The county received the funding award through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority as part of its Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program.
.....
Keith Hall, a principal associate for Colliers Engineering, said the consultants have worked on the project for a year. They started in September [2023] gathering statistics on traffic volume and monitoring how the signals currently operate. In the ensuring months, he said, they analyzed crash data and met with officials from each town along the corridor to discuss the project.
..... Hall said their work will culminate in a report, recapping their findings and recommending a plan to optimize the signals. It will also quantify advantages of the improved timing - in terms of traffic delays and vehicle emissions.
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The county is expected to implement that prescribed plan by next summer. [2025]
..... Hall said the project will not involve new equipment or significant upgrades. The idea is to sue the signals already in place, he said, adding that there will not be changes to posted speed limits.
..... Complicating the efforts is that multiple signals fall under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation. Therefore, the consultants have had to touch base with local leaders, and those in Trenton, to collaborate on the project.