Wayne road expansion requires condemning 27 residential properties

By: David M. Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Passaic County commissioners recently agreed to start condemnation proceedings on 27 properties in Wayne to make way for a nearly $10 million improvement project on Oldham Road.
..... All road improvements will prepare the area for the eventual expansion of Passaic County Technical Institute, which is expected to increase enrollment at the high school by 800 students.
..... County officials said small portions of the properties are needed to expand a narrow and inconsistent right of way along Oldham Road ahead of planned improvements. Proposed to stretch between Preakness and central avenues, the project would realign and widen the road while adding sidewalks, new drainage devices and three traffic signals.
..... County officials said the project is expected to cost $905 million and start in late 2024. Lane shifts, alternating traffic and detours may be required to facilitate the construction, officials said.
..... County records show there are 71 properties along the proposed construction zone. Of them, 27 have property owners who have not yet responded to the county's request to purchase a portion of their land for the project.
..... County commissioners also recently agreed to contract New Jersey Realty Advisory Group of Iselin to apprise the properties for fair market value at a cost of $27,000 and CW Solutions of New Brunswick to perform title searches at a maximum cost of $16,200, records show.
..... Purchase agreements have already been made with most of the property owners along the mostly home-lined street. In 2022, county officials paid Wayne's local government roughly 45,000 for three small parcels totaling about 500 square feet, records show. Two of the parcels are at opposite ends of Oldham Road.
..... The third is near the Reinhardt Road entrance to Passaic County Technical Institute.
..... The county-run school is soon expected to begin a four-year expansion projected to raise enrollment by 25% and increase traffic on Oldham Road. The expansion is centered on a new 65,000-square-foot building that will link the high school with Passaic County Community College's Public Safety Academy.
..... The Biotech Innovation Center, a $25 million investment funded primarily by a state grant, is due to house a DNA learning center run by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and support a new biotechnology program expected to begin in fall 2023.

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