Can Weeding, Flood Fix Come With 287 Project?

Sure, Interstate 287 can use a facelift, but it's not the only thing about that area of roadway in need of repair.

That contention, from Council Vice President Rebecca Feldman, came Tuesday night when the matter of a noise waiver for an upcoming repaving project from the state Department of Transportation was discussed. The project encompasses the area of I-287 south of the South Street underpass in Morristown to the Littleton Road overpass in Parsippany, about nine miles.

While the vote was tabled until Mayor Tim Dougherty and Business Administrator Michael Rogers reach out to those in charge of the project, including Gov. Chris Christie, neither was particularly optimistic any additional work–including mitigating flooding issues along Exit 35 into Morristown and clearing extensive overgrowth from several exits.

"We have been asking about this, and I am certain past administrations as well, have complained for years," Dougherty said.

"We're talking about keeping our downtown clean, what about our offramps," Feldman said.

Discussion about possibly refusing the noise waiver lead to Rogers saying that would likely only cause the project to be conducted during daytime hours, causing extensive traffic delays.

"There have been several times I have seen cars pass through puddles as high as the main 287 lane," Councilwoman Raline Smith-Reid added. "I think it is something very vital, and I would rather not vote on this tonight."

Although the vote on the noise waiver was tabled at the meeting pending phone calls to the state, Dougherty said, "the state's the state. We'll do everything we can.

"It's not like we have not made an effort," he said. "I'll call the governor–we'll put as much pressure on him as we can."