County to Widen Centennial Ave, Improve Three Cranford Intersections

A project to improve a quarter-mile stretch of Centennial Avenue and three Cranford intersections has recently been approved by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders using state highway grants, the County of Union announced last week.

The new improvements will ease congestion, replace sidewalks and curbing, add and replace traffic signals and widen Centennial Avenue to ease traffic and make the area safer.

The Centennial Avenue project is a plan to widen a 1,100-foot stretch from the Lehigh Valley Railroad Trestle to Wall Street by up to ten feet. Adding the additional space will allow for a left turn-only lane on the northbound side of Hillside Avenue and a left turn-only lane on the southbound side of Myrtle Avenue, according to a release by the county.

By doing this, congestion on Centennial Avenue will be reduced and safer turning would be created for parents dropping children off at school, the county said.

“This project was a long time coming, in part because it is so complicated,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski in a release. “It required a great deal of cooperation between the Cranford Board of Education, the Township, the county and utilities. But in the end we will make this busy intersection safer.”

Additional projects include adding a new traffic signal at the T-intersection of Hillside and Centennial Avenue, as well as a replacement of the traffic signals at Myrtle Avenue and Wall Street/Centennial. The new lights will be timed in a way that improves traffic flow.

The new traffic signals will use LED lights, which are brighter and more roughly 90 percent more energy efficient than the previous bulbs, according to the county.

On the school property along Centennial Avenue, the county will replace sidewalks and curbing.

“Making a left turn onto Centennial Avenue during rush hour is no picnic,” said Mayor Tom Hannen said in a release. “Parents take their chances or depend on the courtesy of other drivers to get onto Centennial Avenue. Hundreds of children walk to school or are dropped off here, so this was really a public safety issue for us. We’re glad the county was able to move this project forward.”

The project is set to begin late this summer once school is officially let out.
According to the county, construction will cost $821,705 and Piscataway based Fai-Gon Electric has been awarded the contract.

Also during this summer, a 1.17-mile stretch of Centennial Avenue from North Avenue to Raritan Avenue will be resurfaced as part of the annual resurfacing program implemented by the county.