Plan To Ease Congestion On Route 17 Moves Forward, Public Input Sought

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Motorists will be able to view and submit comments on a proposed project to solve traffic congestion on a Route 17 corridor rated one of the worst bottlenecks in the state.

Beginning Thursday and ending Feb. 2, a virtual presentation will be available to view to learn more about the Route 17 Bottleneck Study, the purpose of which is to improve safety, mobility and travel-time reliability.

Members of the public, specifically in Paramus, Rochelle Park and Maywood, are invited to participate in the virtual information session, prepared by the Bergen County Department of Planning and Engineering.

Route 17 from Essex Street (milepost 10.19 to north of Fairview Avenue (milepost 12.04) will be widened to six lanes from four lanes in the proposed project, as that stretch of road is "severely congested," according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Significant traffic queuing and delays are induced by the heavy congestion along this vital artery in the heart of Bergen County. Not only that, this section of road also experiences higher crash rates than the state average, the planning department said.

Among the road defects are substandard shoulder widths (inside and outside), stopping sight distance, vertical under-clearance, acceleration lane length, ramp radius and bridge width. Six bridges are over 90 years old, with several of them considered poor or in serious condition, the department added.

The proposed improvements are:

• Additional third travel lane, 12-foot outside shoulder and 3-foot minimum inside shoulder in both directions
• Replacement of six bridges with four new bridges and over one mile of retaining walls
• New Route 17 Southbound exit ramp to Central Avenue
• Modified Route 17 Northbound exit and entrance ramps at Mildred Avenue
• New signalized intersection at Farview Avenue and the Route 17 southbound exit and entrance ramps
• 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